The pressure to press send: Implications of organizational and self-imposed norms on workplace telepressure

Abstract

In response to technological developments, asynchronous modes of communication have become ubiquitous for exchanging information and maintaining social relationships in contemporary work environments. While these developments benefit workers’ job control and diminish work-home conflicts, they could simultaneously arouse workers’ preoccupation with and urge to repond promptly to work-related ICT messages, which is labeled as ‘workplace telepressure’. Workplace telepressure could lead to detrimental health and wellbeing effects, and could be induced by external norms to respond promptly, imposed by the organizational environment, or by selfimposed norms to respond promptly, imposed by workers’ own predilection and urges. In pursuit of previous workplace telepressure research, this study was set out with the aim to examine how trait-like individual differences (e.g. agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and irrational need for control) affect workplace telepressure, as they could act as substantial self-imposed norms. Furthermore, this study aims to explore whether the presence of response expectation organizational norms could strengthen the effect of self-imposed norms on workplace telepressure. By means of cross-sectional research, data were collected among Dutch working adults (N = 136). Results suggest that both organizational factors as certain personal factors could contribute to explain workplace telepressure. However, these two factors seem not in any way to interact with each other. Suggestions for further research and practical implications are discussed.