How enterprise social media use affects employee well-being
The widespread adoption of enterprise social media (ESM) in hybrid and remote work settings has transformed workplace collaboration by enabling seamless connectivity and real-time interaction. Yet it also requires employees to remain continuously responsive and digitally present. These conditions increase communication overload and blur work-personal boundaries, reflecting the phenomenon of techno-invasion. Such disruptions may heighten psychological strain and diminish well-being. Guided by the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study examines how distinct ESM-induced job demands-communication overload and boundary management stress-are associated with employee exhaustion and well-being. We collected survey data from 200 Korean office workers (mean age = 44.38, range = 27-64; 56% male) using validated self-report scales and analyzed the data using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that intensified ESM use is linked to greater communication overload and boundary management stress, which are also associated with increased exhaustion and reduced well-being. By elucidating how ESM-driven connectivity can undermine employee well-being, this research enriches the technostress literature. Practically, it highlights the need for organizations to implement supportive initiatives that alleviate excessive job demands and foster a sustainable digital work environment that supports employee psychological health.
Authors
- Seongcheol Kim
- Da Eun Song
Institutions
- Korea University (KR)
- Korea Culture & Tourism Institute (KR)
- The Korea institute for Religion and Culture (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2026-05-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-52766-3
- Primary Topic
- Knowledge Management and Sharing
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00