Replenishing resources with enterprise social media (ESM): overload-moderated effects on work-life balance, exhaustion, and turnover

Purpose This study investigates the double-edged impact of Enterprise social media (ESM) use on employee well-being through Conservation of Resources (COR) theory. We examine how work- and nonwork-related ESM use affects work exhaustion and turnover intention via work–life balance (WLB), and how these effects are contingent on perceived work overload. Design/methodology/approach A survey was administered to professionals at a major IT corporation in the Midwestern United States. Data from 276 employees were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings Only nonwork-related ESM use directly promotes WLB. Both work-related and nonwork-related ESM use enhances WLB for employees experiencing high perceived work overload. WLB negatively affects work exhaustion and turnover intention, and work exhaustion positively predicts turnover intention. Perceived work overload is a critical boundary condition shaping the impact of ESM use. Research limitations/implications Because this sample was drawn from a single organization, future research should extend these findings longitudinally and test other ESM-driven spillovers, such as effects on family life. Managers should replace blanket ESM policies with workload-differentiated strategies, encouraging ESM use as a coping resource under high demand while fostering psychologically safe connectivity norms. Originality/value The study offers a contingency-based perspective that reconciles apparent contradictions in ESM literature, moving beyond asking whether ESM has an impact to explaining how and when its effects manifest. A key theoretical contribution is the identification of perceived work overload as a factor that can transform ESM use from a potential drain on resources into a vital coping tool for employee well-being.