The Negative Impact of Digital Overload on Civil Servants’ Work Outcomes: The Moderating Role of High-Performance Human Resource Management Practices

As digitalization accelerates, digital overload is placing increasing pressure on civil servants. This study draws on the Job Demands–Resources model and analyzes 3 waves of survey data from 653 civil servants, along with a scenario-based experiment involving 138 participants. Findings reveal that digital overload affects job performance, turnover intention, and burnout through the mediating role of relative deprivation. Furthermore, high-performance human resource management practices moderate this relationship by mitigating the negative effects of digital overload, thus reducing their negative impact. A moderated mediation model is proposed, highlighting strategies to support public employees coping with digitalization.

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Publication Details

Journal
Public Personnel Management
Published
2026-09-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/00910260261479758
Primary Topic
Technostress in Professional Settings
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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The Negative Impact of Digital Overload on Civil Servants’ Work Outcomes: The Moderating Role of High-Performance Human Resource Management Practices

Chao Pan, Yuhang He, Qing Miao
Public Personnel Management
Technostress in Professional Settings
article

The Negative Impact of Digital Overload on Civil Servants’ Work Outcomes: The Moderating Role of High-Performance Human Resource Management Practices

Chao Pan, Yuhang He, Qing Miao
article en

Abstract

As digitalization accelerates, digital overload is placing increasing pressure on civil servants. This study draws on the Job Demands–Resources model and analyzes 3 waves of survey data from 653 civil servants, along with a scenario-based experiment involving 138 participants. Findings reveal that digital overload affects job performance, turnover intention, and burnout through the mediating role of relative deprivation. Furthermore, high-performance human resource management practices moderate this relationship by mitigating the negative effects of digital overload, thus reducing their negative impact. A moderated mediation model is proposed, highlighting strategies to support public employees coping with digitalization.

Public Personnel Management
Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN), Zhejiang University (CN)
Decent work and economic growth
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Technostress in Professional Settings
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The Negative Impact of Digital Overload on Civil Servants’ Work Outcomes: The Moderating Role of High-Performance Human Resource Management Practices — Chao Pan, Yuhang He, et al. · Public Personnel Management (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS