Mental wellbeing in digital workplaces: The role of digital resources, technostress, and burnout

Abstract

As the maritime industry navigates the challenges and opportunities brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, digital transformation emerges as a key agent in reshaping operational dynamics and workforce well-being. Recognising the profound impact of this transformation, this research explores how various digital factors are related to technostress, burnout, and mental well-being of maritime workforce. Utilising the job demands-resources theoretical model, a framework was constructed to examine their relationships. Through a survey questionnaire, responses from 187 maritime professionals across various roles were collected for analysis. Employing structural equation modelling, the findings reveal that digital culture and digital knowledge management have the largest negative association with technostress, followed by digital leadership, capabilities, and human resource management, in descending order. Additionally, technostress was identified to be both directly and indirectly associated with mental well-being, with burnout serving as a mediator. These insights extend the discourse on technostress within the maritime context, using the job demands-resources model to elucidate the complex interplay between digital transformation initiatives and mental well-being. Furthermore, the study offers actionable strategies for maritime organisations, underscoring the importance of fostering a conducive digital environment, prioritising the advancement of digital capabilities and knowledge management, and reinforcing leadership competencies to adeptly steer through the intricacies of digital transformation.