University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany.
Leuphana University of Lueneburg, Lueneburg, Germany.
Work. 2023;75(4):1199-1213. doi: 10.3233/WOR-220177.
Many organizations are undertaking efforts to reduce the stress of (oftentimes overworked) employees. Information Technology (IT) (e.g., smartphones) has the potential to be a key instrument for reducing stress. One design-relevant factor considered to reduce stress is the concept of autonomy. Unfortunately, little research exists using autonomy as a characteristic of technology design.
Against this background, this study aimed to investigate specific autonomy-related design options with the potential to prevent stress.
In a factorial survey, this experimental study tested three design options in an overwork scenario: 1) autonomy (no intervention by design), 2) nudge ("nudging" by design), and 3) enforcement (hard stop by design). 51 participants (mean age 38 years, 50% women, mean work experience 18 years) from the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Germany participated in the experiment for 330 seconds on average. To test our hypothesis, we used a two-step approach. First, a multiple linear regression was applied. Second, we carried out a one-way ANCOVA comparing the effects of our design options.
Our results indicate that autonomy can be manipulated through technology design and is negatively correlated with stress. Additionally, the design options autonomy and nudge were associated with lower levels of perceived stress than was enforcement.
The study proposes a careful use of IT and policies that limit the perceived autonomy of employees. Overall, this study offers a set of design recommendations arguing that organizations should implement technology that helps employees prevent overwork and maintain their autonomy.
许多组织正在努力减轻（往往是过度劳累的）员工的压力。信息技术（IT）（例如智能手机）有可能成为减轻压力的关键工具。被认为可以降低压力的一个设计相关因素是自主性概念。不幸的是，很少有研究将自主性作为技术设计的特征来使用。
在这种背景下，本研究旨在调查具有预防压力潜力的特定与自主性相关的设计选项。
在一项析因调查中，本实验研究在过度工作场景中测试了三种设计选项：1）自主性（设计上不进行干预），2）提示（设计上的提示），3）强制（设计上的硬性停止）。来自荷兰、英国、美国和德国的 51 名参与者（平均年龄 38 岁，50%为女性，平均工作经验 18 年）参与了实验，平均持续 330 秒。为了检验我们的假设，我们采用了两步法。首先，进行了多元线性回归。其次，我们进行了单向方差分析比较，以比较我们设计选项的效果。
我们的结果表明，自主性可以通过技术设计来操纵，并且与压力呈负相关。此外，与强制相比，自主性和提示这两种设计选项与感知压力水平较低相关。
该研究提出了谨慎使用 IT 和限制员工感知自主性的政策。总的来说，本研究提出了一系列设计建议，主张组织应实施有助于员工预防过度工作并保持自主性的技术。
