Should You Ask for Help? A Multilevel Framework for Modeling Technostress in Employees

Should You Ask for Help? – A Multilevel Framework for Modeling Technostress in Employees
Zaheer A. Shaik
ESSEC Business School, Paris

Should You Ask for Help? – A Multilevel Framework for Modeling Technostress in Employees
Abstract
This conceptual paper proposes a multilevel framework to model the impact of individual and group level constructs on technostress in employees. We use the transactional model of stress, and the coping process theory, to predict the interactions between technostress and work stressors. Drawing upon the organizational support theory, we hypothesize that the impact of work stressors, like perceived work load and perceived job insecurity, is moderated by individual and group level factors. Furthermore, we propose to test the variation in appraising stressors as a threat or a challenge by individuals. This difference in perception impacts the performance of an individual; and thus, this research will be useful towards helping organizations modulate the performance of their employees. This study contributes to the ongoing research on the negative impact of information technology use on individuals.
Keywords: Technostress, moderating effect, coping behavior, stressors, appraisal, organizational support.

1 Introduction
Organizational stress leads to employee absenteeism, and furthermore, due to an increased turnover of the employees, affects the overall performance of the organization (Tarafdar, Tu, Ragu-Nathan, & Ragu-Nathan, 2007). More than half a million employees in the United Kingdom (1.3% of the thirty-eight million working populace) experienced ill health inducing stress levels, which is the second most leading cause of lost manpower days (Blaug, Kenyon, & Lekhi, 2007). In Europe, stress lead to physical and non-physical effects in individuals, including but not confined to, irritability, fatigue, and insomnia, with an estimated cost of twenty billion euros (Milczarek, Schneider, & González, 2009). Social and organizational

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