Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of smart working and digital connectivity, reshaping organizational dynamics and human interaction. While these innovations enhance flexibility, productivity, and autonomy, they also pose challenges to occupational health, including technostress, burnout, and digital fatigue.
Purpose: This integrated study combines empirical and systematic evidence to explore the dual nature of digital connectivity in modern work environments, emphasizing smart working as a lever for organizational and psychological sustainability in the framework of the Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development.
Method: The first study involved employees from multinational companies operating in Italy, applying the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework to assess how digital connectivity influences work engagement, technostress, and job performance. Complementarily, a PRISMA-based systematic review examined 40 peer-reviewed studies published since 2020 across PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library, focusing on digital work, remote practices, and well-being outcomes.
Results: Empirical findings revealed moderate digital connectivity and technostress, with high work engagement and job performance. The review corroborated these findings, highlighting that digital tools increase efficiency and flexibility but may also heighten workload, cognitive overload, and mental fatigue.
Conclusions: Answering to the call of the fourth paradigm (Hartung & Di Fabio, 2024), digital connectivity functions simultaneously as a resource and a demand. To ensure long-term sustainability, organizations should adopt structured policies such as "right to disconnect," offline periods, and mental health initiatives. Smart working should be reframed as a multidimensional sustainability practice—reducing environmental impact through remote work, promoting psychological balance, and fostering inclusive, resilient organizations prepared for the future of work.