Mindfully and confidently digital: A mixed methods study on personal resources to mitigate the dark side of digital working

Marsh, Elizabeth; Perez Vallejos, Elvira; Spence, Alexa

Abstract

A growing body of research demonstrates the potential of mindfulness to reduce employee stress. However, with work increasingly migrating from the physical to the digital workplace, evidence is lacking on how mindfulness might help employees live healthy digital working lives. In addition, employees’ confidence when using the digital workplace is seen as important for productivity but may also play a role in reducing well-being impacts from digital working. Using the Job-Demands Resources model as a theoretical foundation, 142 workers were surveyed regarding their levels of trait mindfulness and digital workplace confidence, along with their experiences of the dark side effects (stress, overload, anxiety, Fear of Missing Out and addiction) and well-being outcomes (burnout and health). 14 workers were also interviewed to provide qualitative insights on these constructs. Results from regression analyses indicated that more digitally confident workers were less likely to experience digital workplace anxiety, while those with higher mindfulness were better protected against all of the dark side of digital working effects. Interview data indicated ways in which digital mindfulness helps protect well-being, as well as how digital workplace confidence enables healthier digital habits.

Citation

Marsh, E., Perez Vallejos, E., & Spence, A. (2023). Mindfully and confidently digital: A mixed methods study on personal resources to mitigate the dark side of digital working. PLoS ONE, 19(2), Article e0295631. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295631

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 26, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Feb 23, 2024
• Publication Date: Feb 23, 2023
• Deposit Date: Mar 25, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 25, 2025
• Journal: PLoS ONE
• Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 2
• Article Number: e0295631
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295631
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/31881230
• Publisher URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0295631