Stress is part of Katharina Ebner’s job. Not primarily because she suffers from it herself, but because she deals with it scientifically. The work and organizational psychologist is researching digital stress management at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg in the Department of Psychology. She deals, for example, with the stress that arises from communicating on many, for some too many, channels. A conversation about email bombardments, made-up expectations and bosses who call you back from vacation – logically also conducted digitally, via a video call platform.
SZ: Dr. Ebner, how many devices do you have on your table?
Actually, only three. Two work notebooks and the private smartphone. But the smartphone is on silent and I didn’t even start the second notebook so I could talk to you in peace.
And what else do you do to protect yourself from too much digital input?
For example, I’ve started turning off my email program from time to time. I’ve turned off push notifications for many apps on my smartphone. But I need to be reachable in my private life.
So it’s not possible to switch off completely.
No, that’s not possible and I don’t want that either. And at work I’m very aware of which applications stress me out in which phase of my work.
How does stress arise from communication tools?
The constant interruptions play a big role. The feeling of not being able to complete a single task in peace. In the past, the phone might ring or a colleague might knock on the office door.
And today?
There is a ping every few seconds. From WhatsApp, from the email program, from Slack, from Teams. But being constantly available is not a stress factor for everyone. Some are deeply relaxed, even though they are being bombarded with messages on various channels. Others, on the other hand, are completely torn away from work and suffer from digital stress.
Are we defenseless against digital stress?
There is a way to adjust technology so that it doesn’t interrupt us, but many people don’t make use of it.
Because they believe it could be interpreted negatively?
This has a lot to do with expectations, but they are made-up expectations. The majority of people are aware that emails and messenger programs are asynchronous media and that you can’t expect an ad hoc response. But very few people communicate precisely how long they expect a response to take. Personally, I read this information in maybe one out of 300 emails.
And then the other person feels like they have to respond immediately?
Certainly very often.
So is it the fault of others, or are we distracting ourselves too?
When we interrupt ourselves, we remain in control. That’s the difference.
What can you specifically do to combat digital stress at work?
The most important thing for me is to turn off push notifications for media that are not work-related. You should also communicate to your colleagues times when you can work without interruptions, i.e. announce when you are available and when you are not. And finally, it is helpful to choose the right medium for communication.
How do you know which one fits best?
This is called task-technology fit: the more information-rich the content is, the more I have to move from a text-based medium to face-to-face contact. Of course, there are other factors that you have to consider. For example, whether you need to have something documented.
And how do you deal with digital stress after work or on vacation?
Don’t check your emails first thing in the morning and put your smartphone down before you go to bed at night. Many people find this very difficult. Another problem is that many people often use their private cell phone for work-related communication. Then the two get mixed up. When I’m lying on the beach, I’m tempted to open my work email program. And when I get a call from work, it’s very difficult to avoid it.
So I answer the phone.
You see yourself as part of the group and want to belong. Everyone has the need to be valued for their skills. If I answer a phone call or an urgent email from my boss while on vacation, I present myself as someone who is approachable and can help. This may not cause any stress at all, but rather serves my motive for recognition. In any case, it is good to reflect carefully. If, for certain reasons, I keep my email program active while on vacation, but the email from my boss stresses me out, then there is only another level where I can do something about it.
Which one is it?
This is physiological relaxation, mindfulness and sport, for example. The path to less digital stress therefore involves a lot of self-reflection and a little bit of communication.