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Technical issues at work may increase the risk of sick leave

Offering support and training for employees at the same time as new technology is introduced can help.

Kvinne foran PC
Many people depend on digital tools to carry out their work efficiently.
Communications Adviser
Presented by: STAMI - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH in norway
Published

Information and communication technology (ICT) in the workplace can create unease and frustration. Especially when companies introduce new tools and systems that employees must use in order to complete their work. 

If employees struggle to understand new digital tools, it can cause disruptions. This makes the workday less predictable. The same applies if there are weaknesses in these tools.

The sum of many small digital problems during a workday can contribute to what researchers call technostress. Over time, it may affect the health of those experiencing it.

Many small obstacles

Each individual episode of technical problems or obstacles at work may seem quite insignificant. Such episodes can therefore be called microstressors.

But if they happen repeatedly, and perhaps even dominate the workday, they may eventually have health consequences.

Previous studies have not investigated how challenges with new digital tools affect sick leave.

That's why researchers have examined what they call ICT obstacles. These are technical problems that prevent people from carrying out their work tasks properly.

“We also investigated the effects of these obstacles on short-, medium-, and long-term sick leave due to psychological diagnoses,” says Jan Olav Christensen. He researches psychosocial work environment at the National Institute of Occupational Health in Norway (STAMI).

What is technostress?

Technostress is a term that describes various burdens employees may experience when working with digital technology. It can stem from:

  • Employees experiencing less control over their work
  • Technology not functioning as it should, leading to interruptions and obstacles
  • Work tasks becoming more complex
  • Increased workload from constantly learning new tools and tasks
  • Employees feeling insecure about their own tech skills or fearing being replaced by technological innovations

Surveys and registry data

The researchers used data from the workplace survey The New Workplace to find out how tech troubles affect health. The survey, which STAMI conducted earlier, has responses from employees at 96 companies.

Employees answered questions about their work environment, including how often they are unable to work due to technical problems.

The survey also covered workload, time pressure, decision-making autonomy, and access to support and training at work.

The researchers compared this information with registry data on doctor-certified sick leave due to psychological diagnoses. 

The data included responses from over 8,500 participants.

Training and support is crucial

The surveys showed that frequently experiencing ICT problems at work is linked to a higher risk of sick leave.

At the same time, Christensen and colleagues found that those who received technical support and training had a lower risk of sick leave – regardless of what demands and control they had in their work.

Relevant training makes employees better equipped to use new tech tools effectively. It gives them confidence in handling tasks and makes it easier to solve problems that arise.

ICT problems can therefore increase the risk of sick leave, while technological support and training can reduce it. But for ICT support and training to be effective, these measures must be implemented early, and not after problems arise.

"This indicates that the most effective approach is to prevent technical issues by offering training at the same time as new systems and tools are introduced,” says Christensen.

The researchers at STAMI will carry out new studies on this topic in the future. This is to gain more knowledge about how technological challenges can affect health, sick leave, and the ability to work effectively.

Reference:

Christensen et al. IT really matters: Associations of computer hassles and technical support with medically certified sickness absence due to mental health complaints, Computers in Human Behavior Reports, vol. 16, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100537

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Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no

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