TECHNOSTRESS: A PSYCHO – PHYSIOLOGICAL COMPLICATIONS AMONG THE WORKFORCE IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

One of the goals of Information Technology (IT) is to provide faster communications around the globe and efficacy in work processes. If modern technology was designed to empower us, to set us free, and to leave us satisfied, why do we often feel (techno-) stressed due to the use of these technologies? This paper unravels a modern disease caused by inability to cope with technology in a healthy manner. Also, the paper aims at ascertaining the influence of age, gender, nature and place of work on the manifestation of techno stress. Technostress scale, a twenty – two item Likert-type, two sub-scale questionnaires designed for the study was administered on two hundred and one samples drawn from five faculties in National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and five Commercial banks in Port Harcourt metropolis, Nigeria. The data were analyzed using t-test, Correlation and ANOVA statistics. Four hypotheses, three of which were confirmed, were raised for the study. The results showed that academic staff manifested significantly higher levels of techno stress than the employees from the banking sector, there were no gender differences in the manifestations of techno stress either among bankers or academic staff, older participants manifested higher levels of techno stress than younger participants, a positive correlation was observed between computer hassles and stress reaction. In conclusion, improved IT training and stress management interventions were highlighted as management techniques for techno stress in the organisations.

Keywords: Banking sector, Information technology, Physiological effect, Technostress, Workload efficiency