This paper aims to review the demands employees face when communicating through information and communication technologies (ICTs), and relevant interventions are suggested to provide a set of evidence-based recommendations to help protect work-life balance.
The paper reviews the following demands associated with ICTs: response expectations, constant availability, increased workload and poor communication. The authors draw upon empirical research to highlight outcomes and intervention strategies, before discussing implications for research and practice.
The paper, which reviews four demands employees face when communicating through ICT (response expectations, constant availability, increased workload and poor communication), finds that there are diverse outcomes associated with each. The outcomes were not inherently negative, as evidence suggests that positive performance outcomes can arise from response expectations and constant availability, although there may be health and wellbeing costs.
Four interrelated demands that employees can face when communicating through technology are integrated and possible interventions are analyzed.
