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We examined the effects of work-related use of information and communication technologies after hours (W_ICTs) by applying the job demands-resources model and person-environment fit theory. Our focus was on the mechanism of the impact of W_ICTs on employees' nonwork time error admission, the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion, and the moderating effect of person-organization fit. We used experience sampling to make repeated measurements at different time points to obtain the dynamic variation of the variables. There were 55 participants who completed online questionnaires for 10 consecutive workdays, resulting in 1,035 valid questionnaires for analysis. We found that employees' daily W_ICTs had significant negative effects on their error admission, and significant positive effects on their emotional exhaustion. Further, emotional exhaustion mediated the relationship between W_ICTs and error admission, and person-organization fit negatively moderated the relationship between emotional exhaustion and error admission.
Keywords
work-related use of information and communication technologies after hours; emotional exhaustion; error admission; person-organization fit; employee work demand
Work-related use of information and communication technologies after hours-which refers to the use of portable communication devices to work or contacting work-related people during nonworking hours (Fujimoto et al., 20i6)-at any time of the day or night, is anticipated to become a feature of online offices (O'Driscoll et al., 2010). While people enjoy the benefits of W_ICTs (e.g., working from anywhere and at any time), they are already feeling the negative impact of rising W_ICTs requirements (Huang & Liang, 2018). In a Confucian cultural organizational context, where the boundaries between work and home are blurred, many companies do not have specific rules but still expect employees to be available when they receive a work message during nonworking hours. According to a 2018 online survey by the Shanghai Observer in China, during nonworking hours, work instructions have become the norm for WeChat workgroups, and only 19.7% of respondents never receive work instructions (Chu, 2018). W_ICTs may trigger a series of negative effects on work behavior, which include lower work engagement, higher turnover intention, and less proactive behavior (Lanaj et al., 2014).
The hidden or nonobvious requirement of W_ICTs means that employees are unable to leave their work completely during nonworking hours. After-hour tasks can be considered as job demands that reduce employees' psychology resources. Under the...