In the shadows of digitalisation: digital stressors as predictors of emotional exhaustion in Norwegian academia

Burnout and emotional exhaustion are a serious threat to mental health of workers globally. Recent reports indicate that burnout has been on the rise among employees in higher education institutions. Very few studies explored digital stressors as predictors of burnout among faculty staff. Therefore, we conducted a study on 942 Norwegian higher education employees to examine the association between digital stressors and emotional exhaustion. Hierarchical regression was performed to investigate to which degree digital stressors – complexity, conflicts, overload, safety, and unreliability contribute to emotional exhaustion. Gender and age were included as covariates. The participants scored highest on the conflicts stressor. The regression model accounted for 41% of the variance in emotional exhaustion. Conflicts and overload were identified as significant predictors. The results indicate that the use of ICT contributes substantially to emotional exhaustion among employees in higher education institutions in Norway. Given the considerable individual, organisational, and societal consequences of burnout and the modifiable nature of digital stressors, higher education institutions should urgently implement targeted interventions to prevent the adverse effects of ICT use on the mental health and well-being of employees.