Digitalization as a Challenge to Sustainable Work: Sources of Deteriorating Working Conditions in Central Europe

While the digital transformation is predominantly framed as a catalyst for efficiency, the structural shifts induced by digitalization seem to generate a hidden erosion of working conditions that challenges the broader vision of sustainable work. Focusing on four Central European countries, this research explores how contemporary labor environments conceal declines in job quality. Drawing on original survey data, the study identifies several critical sources of this deterioration, including uncompensated workload expansion, the erosion of the right to disconnect, and the increasing pressure of digital presenteeism. The analysis reveals that these hidden shifts are most prevalent among workers in remote or hybrid models, as well as those in the first decade of their professional careers. Younger workers appear especially vulnerable to the blurring of work–life boundaries and the compulsion to maintain availability during illness. The research questions were addressed using appropriate statistical tests and by constructing working conditions due to digitalization index (WCDI). These findings point toward a need for a broader understanding of how digital transformation impacts the sustainability of work in practice.