Impact of Technostress on Withdrawal Behavior and Workplace Flourishing

The COVID-19 pandemic's ripple effects on the digital work sphere have been widely recognized and debated. But little is known about how much technostress influences workers' overall well-being (i.e., workplace flourishing) during the pandemic. This paper (drawing on social roles and self-efficacy theories) investigates the effect of technostress on flourishing at work and withdrawal behavior and the contextual roles of gender, generation, and work practices. Survey data were randomly obtained from workers in various educational sectors in Saudi Arabia (n = 538) and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and multi-group moderation analysis. Accordingly, technostress positively affects work withdrawal behavior and reduces workplace flourishing. Variations in these associations were observed based on generational cohorts and work flexibility or mode. But no significant gender variations occurred. This study provides managerial insights and strategies to deal with technostress's ripple effect due to restrictions and measures provoked by the pandemic.