Digital Detox in the Age of Hyperconnectivity: Organizational Strategies for Mitigating Technology Overload and Enhancing Employee Flourishing

Abstract

Digital hyperconnectivity has transformed how work and communication are done among employees, but too frequently at the cost of cognition and emotion. In this paper, the psychological consequences of the intensive usage of digital tools by 403 German teleworkers during the first COVID-19 lockdown are explored through a body of data from a cross-sectional survey in the spring of 2020. The analysis centers around the association between the application of text-based tools and cognitive overload and how cognitive overload mediates decreases in psychological well-being and perceived work performance. In contrast, video conferencing equipment was not related to similar effects. According to the results of surveys, the more often workers resorted to messaging platforms, the more mental strains they experienced, and those who complied with the strategies of digital detox gained psychologically and physically better well-being. These results confirm work on the technostress framework and tie in with the tenets of flourishing psychology in that they illustrate how the phenomena of digital boundary-setting can act as a buffer against adverse overload impacts. The study validates that tool-specific digital stress is not a myth but a concrete problem that can be measured. It also supports the theory that digital detox, facilitated at an organizational level, will positively affect psychological results even in high-pressure remote work conditions. Implications for leadership, platform design, and recovery-focused policy are discussed. Although constrained by the self-report design and nationality, the results provide current insights into how organizations can facilitate employee flourishing during constant connectivity.