Introduction: While hybrid work environments offer increased flexibility, they often blur the lines between personal and family life. Without clear support systems in place, these environments can heighten stress and anxiety, leading to reduced life satisfaction—especially when employees become overly dependent on digital tools, face constant connectivity, and encounter unclear expectations.
Purpose: Against the backdrop of the Job Demands and Resources Model, Conservation of Resource Theory and Work-Home Resource Theory, this study explores the effect of technostress on employee well-being - specifically life satisfaction, anxiety and stress - in a hybrid work environment. Additionally, the research investigates how work-family conflict mediates the relationship and how psychological resilience moderates it.
Method: The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design using convenience and snowball sampling methods. It involved 480 South African employees working under hybrid arrangements, and relationships among the constructs were examined using structural equation modelling.
Results: The findings confirm that technostress is significantly related to increased work-family conflict, anxiety, and stress, suggesting that although hybrid work offers flexibility and opportunities, it also introduces strain due to blurred boundaries and role overload. Notably, work-family conflict emerged as a partial mediator, explaining how technostress contributes to higher levels of anxiety and stress. Additionally, work-family conflict fully mediates the relationship between technostress and life satisfaction. This highlights the crucial role of work-family dynamics in influencing psychological outcomes in hybrid work environments. Furthermore, utilising resilience as a personal resource may help mitigate the effects of technostress on work-family conflict.
Conclusion: This research enhances our understanding of how technostress affects employee well-being and provides evidence that addressing work-family conflict is essential for reducing anxiety and stress while improving life satisfaction. Organisations can foster healthier, more sustainable, and more productive work environments by intentionally designing hybrid work arrangements that balance job demands with sufficient resources.