Is Your Job's Technology Making You Want to Quit? The Shocking Truth About Technostress

A new report from Adaptavist has uncovered the high costs of poorly implemented workplace technology, revealing that technostress is driving millions of employees to leave their jobs.

The Impact of Technostress

Stress from workplace technology is not just a minor issue—it's leading to significant disruptions. The report, based on a survey of 4,000 knowledge workers in the UK, US, Canada, and Germany, found that 5% of employees have quit their jobs due to workplace technology. Additionally, 12% have taken sick leave or time off, and 23% are actively looking for new positions. According to Adaptavist, this could mean up to 50 million workers resigning annually globally.

Technology, intended to empower, has become a source of anxiety and cognitive overload for many. The report states, "Instead of streamlining communication, technology is compounding it, leaving workers more distracted than ever."

Sources of Technostress

Various factors contribute to this stress:

• 27% of employees regularly experience digital overwhelm.
• 43% attribute their stress to the volume of notifications and the burden of using multiple platforms.
• 21% cite a lack of training on new tools as a direct cause of stress and anxiety.
• Other pressures include feeling the need to remain connected outside working hours (19%) and proving productivity through digital metrics (17%).

Digital communication also plays a role, with 18% feeling excluded or incompetent from colleagues' messages and 28% worried about being misinterpreted.

Reversing Technostress

Neal Riley, Innovation Lead at The Adaptavist Group, emphasizes that bad change management is often to blame for technostress. He notes, "Technology rollouts fail not because of bad technology, but because of bad change management."

To combat this, employees suggest:

• 48% believe fostering a supportive culture where people feel comfortable asking for help can enable technology use.
• Over 40% highlight the importance of further training, technical support, and dedicated learning resources.

Riley adds, "The companies that succeed in preventing burnout and disengagement will focus on more than selecting the right tools; they will focus on the human elements... Cultivating a workforce that understands its purpose, sees its impact, and feels supported rather than overwhelmed by technology isn't just important to the individual; it's also essential to protecting business bottom lines."