Remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic: How do digital technology use affects mental fatigue, psychological distress and well-being?

ABSTRACT

Introduction: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations had made a major shift towards remote work, causing an increased use of digital technology. While remote working has several benefits, one of its downsides is to create information and communication technology (ICT) demands (e.g., feeling obligated to stay connected). While previous studies have revealed the harmful effects of ICT, very few have investigated the impact of ICT demands on three specific related psychosocial factors. In such a context, this study aims to shed light on the relationship between ICT demands, mental fatigue, psychological distress and well-being. 2. Material and Method. The study was conducted during the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020 in Canada. The data was collected from 320 workers who provided online consent and completed the survey on a voluntary basis. Ethical approval from the research ethics committee of Laval University was obtained. Hayes Process add-on for SPSS was used to test parallel mediation analyses. The study used validated measures to assess ICT demands, mental fatigue, psychological distress, and well-being. 3. Results and Conclusions. The results reveal that mental fatigue and psychological distress significantly mediate the negative relationship between ICT demands and well-being. In a context where many organizations are now considering adopting telecommuting on a permanent or hybrid basis, these findings suggest that special attention must be paid to sufficiently supported workers in their remote work to mitigate the adverse effects on psychological health.