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Digital connectivity for work after hours: Its curvilinear relationship with employee job performance

Journal: Personnel Psychology

Date: 2023

Author: Shuang Ren, Jia Hu, Guiyao Tang, Doren Chadee

Abstract:
Using digital technologies for work-related matters during nonwork time is an increasingly common behavior in contemporary workplaces. Despite the prevalence of digital connectivity (DCON) in today's organizations, its implications for employee job performance remain under-specified. Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory and the “too-much-of-a-good-thing” (TMGT) meta-theoretical principle, we theorize that DCON has an inverted U-shaped relationship with employee job performance through the mediation of social capital development (SCD) and emotional exhaustion (EE). The results of two studies with different designs support our theoretical expectations. Specifically, we found that increases in DCON associate with higher SCD, lower EE, and higher job performance up to an inflexion point, after which more DCON has detrimental effects. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are fully discussed.

Link: Google Scholar

Background and Context

Research Focus

This study examines how using digital technologies for work during non-work hours (digital connectivity or DCON) affects employee job performance.

Research Problem

Despite the prevalence of digital connectivity in today's organizations, its implications for employee job performance remain under-specified and findings are contradictory.

Methodology

Two studies with different designs were conducted, collecting multi-source data from 467 and 313 employee-supervisor pairs in China.

Digital Connectivity Has a "Goldilocks Zone" for Optimal Job Performance

Digital Connectivity (DCON) Job Performance Optimal Performance Low DCON High DCON
  • At moderate levels of digital connectivity after hours, employees achieve optimal job performance.
  • Too little digital connectivity limits resource gain (social capital), reducing performance benefits.
  • Too much digital connectivity depletes resources and increases emotional exhaustion, harming performance.

Competing Pathways: How Digital Connectivity Influences Job Performance

Digital Connectivity Social Capital Emotional Exhaustion Job Performance +/− −/+ + −
  • Digital connectivity initially increases social capital development, which enhances job performance.
  • Digital connectivity initially decreases emotional exhaustion, which also enhances job performance.
  • At higher levels, DCON reverses both relationships, decreasing SCD and increasing EE.

Digital Connectivity's Curvilinear Effects on Resource Gain and Loss (Study 1)

  • Study 1 found that digital connectivity had an inverted U-shaped relationship with social capital development.
  • Digital connectivity showed a U-shaped relationship with emotional exhaustion, confirming competing pathways.
  • These effects translated into an inverted U-shaped relationship with job performance.

Study 2 Confirms the Optimal Level of Digital Connectivity

  • Study 2 replicated findings showing that moderate DCON maximizes beneficial effects on job performance.
  • The relationship between digital connectivity and performance remained curvilinear even after controlling for prior job performance.
  • Both studies revealed consistent patterns across different organizational settings and time periods.

Practical Implications for Balancing Digital Connectivity in Organizations

Optimal Digital Connectivity Monitor DCON Levels Set Clear Expectations Ensure Recovery Time Build Balanced Policies
  • Organizations should regularly assess employees' connectivity levels to identify optimal and excessive DCON.
  • Clear expectations about after-hours availability help employees manage boundaries more effectively.
  • Recovery time between periods of high connectivity prevents emotional exhaustion and sustains performance.

Contribution and Implications

  • This research challenges conventional linear assumptions by revealing an optimal "goldilocks zone" for digital connectivity.
  • Organizations should recognize that employees need balance — neither too little nor too much digital connectivity.
  • Both resource gain (social capital) and resource loss (emotional exhaustion) pathways must be managed simultaneously.
  • Organizations can use these findings to develop more nuanced policies about after-hours work communications.
  • In the post-COVID environment, understanding these dynamics is crucial as remote and hybrid work increases.

Data Sources

  • Visualization 1 illustrates the conceptual model shown in Figure 1 of the article.
  • Visualization 2 represents the theoretical framework derived from the Conservation of Resources theory discussed in the article.
  • Visualization 3 is based on results in Table 2, showing the relationships between variables in Study 1.
  • Visualization 4 uses the data pattern from Table 4, displaying job performance outcomes in Study 2.
  • Visualization 5 summarizes the practical implications outlined in the discussion section of the article.