Digital technology has transformed the way people work, but constant connectivity, information overload and the need to manage multiple digital systems can create digital stress, a growing occupational risk.
Digital stress, or technostress, describes the psychological strain associated with intensive or demanding interaction with digital technologies. It can arise from excessive information, technological complexity, constant interruptions, pressure to respond quickly, rapid changes in technology and the expectation of remaining continuously connected.
Research into civil aviation personnel provides further evidence of the potential consequences. A study of seventy airport navigation service employees examined the relationship between digital workload, cognitive strain and perceived digital stress, using an integrated index designed to quantify the different factors contributing to digital strain.
The researchers found that digital workload was the strongest contributor to overall digital stress. Time pressure, digital multitasking and the density of information flows were among the most significant factors.
The concern is that digital stress is not simply a matter of feeling overwhelmed by technology. Prolonged digital strain can affect the cognitive resources workers rely on to perform their jobs safely and effectively.
The study identified increased cognitive effort, mental fatigue, reduced attentional capacity and cognitive exhaustion as manifestations of increased digital workload. Other research has associated technostress with information overload, reduced concentration, emotional exhaustion and poorer decision-making.
This makes digital stress particularly relevant to jobs requiring sustained attention, complex decision-making or rapid responses, but the underlying problem is much broader. As workplaces become increasingly dependent on digital systems, employees across many industries may face similar pressures.
Reducing digital strain - the findings of this study point towards work system level controls aimed at the design and organisation of digital work, rather than simply expecting workers to become more resilient.
Employers can examine whether workers are required to monitor too many information streams simultaneously, reduce unnecessary digital interruptions, improve interface design and manage unrealistic time pressures. Scheduled breaks from intensive digital tasks, task rotation and opportunities for cognitive recovery may also help prevent cumulative fatigue.
Importantly, the researchers argue that digital stress should be monitored as a combination of interacting factors rather than through isolated symptoms.
The study was based on self-reported data from a relatively small sample, so further research using objective cognitive and physiological measures is needed. Nevertheless, it highlights an increasingly important workplace safety principle - when digital workloads exceed or constantly strain human cognitive capacity, technology itself can become a source of occupational risk.
OHS Reps has useful tools to help HSRs in consulting on the use of digital workplace technologies and the management of associated psychological hazards:
· Digital Work Systems Tool - OHS Reps
· Prevention Plan for Psychosocial Hazards - OHS Reps
Read more: Digital Stress Among Civil Aviation Personnel Under High-Intensity Digitalisation