Detachment from Work: A Diary Study on Telepressure, Smartphone Use and Empathy.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health Psychology
• Organizational Behavior
• Digital Well-being

Background:

• Technological advancements have transformed workplaces, raising concerns about employee mental health.
• The constant connectivity facilitated by smartphones blurs work-life boundaries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of workplace telepressure on psychological detachment.
• To examine the mediating role of work-related smartphone use during off-job hours.
• To explore empathy as a moderator in the telepressure-smartphone use relationship.

Main Methods:

• Diary study with 80 employees over five workdays (337-400 observations).
• Multilevel analyses to assess daily effects and mediation.
• Measurement of workplace telepressure, psychological detachment, work-related smartphone use, and empathy.

Main Results:

• No direct effect of telepressure on daily psychological detachment was found.
• A significant indirect negative effect of telepressure on psychological detachment was observed, mediated by smartphone use.
• Empathy (cognitive or affective) did not moderate the relationship between telepressure and smartphone use.

Conclusions:

• Workplace telepressure indirectly harms psychological detachment through increased off-job smartphone use.
• Organizations should implement clear policies on smartphone use during off-job hours.
• Strategies to improve employee detachment and promote healthy smartphone habits are crucial.