Workplace Telepressure and Work Rumination: Evidence of Incremental Validity Beyond Workaholism

Organizations often use message-based technologies like emails and text messages to send work-related requests and responses. Although these communications can often be convenient, workers often feel the urge to respond quickly– an experience known as workplace telepressure. Workplace telepressure has been associated with lower employee recovery experiences outside of work hours, specifically less psychological detachment (the absence of work rumination or thinking about work during nonwork time). Yet research also suggests that workplace telepressure may not predict psychological detachment beyond other concepts like workaholism (working excessively and compulsively). This research explores whether workplace telepressure may have more incremental validity for negative (affective rumination) and positive (problem-solving pondering) aspects of rumination. Online survey results from 524 full-time workers in the U.S. showed that higher levels of workplace telepressure predicted more affective rumination and problem-solving pondering (plus less psychological detachment) beyond workaholism. Exploratory analyses also showed the unique predictive validity of telepressure beyond trait self-control, public self-consciousness, workload, and information and communication technology demands. Thus, managing workplace telepressure has implications for whether employees can mentally “switch off” ruminative processes even when accounting for workaholism.