Techno-eustress under remote work: a longitudinal study in higher education teachers

Abstract Technology has transformed the work practices of higher education teachers (HETs), leading to stress associated with using such technology, known as technostress. Technostress in the higher education context has predominantly been framed in a negative light, assuming that harmful techno-stressors lead to adverse outcomes. Moreover, most technostress research in higher education has taken a cross-sectional approach. Contemporary research, however, frames technostress as a holistic process that includes both negative and positive aspects: the negative side, techno-distress, and the positive side, techno-eustress. The process viewpoint invites investigations on the positive side of technostress as well as those that capture its temporal, dynamic nature. This study investigates how techno-eustress experienced by HETs evolves longitudinally. Using the holistic technostress model as our guiding lens, we investigate how three techno-stressors (usefulness, reliability, and complexity), two coping mechanisms (synergic literacy, technical support), and three individual traits (coping flexibility, IT mindfulness, and age) impact HETs’ positive psychological responses, and, in turn, two workplace outcomes (job satisfaction and work performance) over time. A two-wave longitudinal paired survey design was employed to survey 712 HETs during two distinct periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicate that usefulness leads to a positive psychological response over time; IT mindfulness, coping flexibility, and synergic literacy influence a positive psychological response over time; and a positive psychological response positively impacts job satisfaction and work performance over time. The findings offer several theoretical contributions and can help policymakers, school districts, and administrators develop strategies to support HETs’ psychological well-being, job satisfaction, and productivity.