Technostress e suas estratégias de enfrentamento: um olhar através das práticas sociomateriais

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze technostress from the point of view of socio-material practices, intertwined by WhatsApp and public educational managers, and how they face it Technostress is traditionally seen as a negative process, both in professional and personal life, coming from information and communications technologies (ICTs). In this research, it is considered that technostress emerges from socio-material practices. In this way its analysis is carried out under this perspective, considering the constitutive interweaving between the social and the material. From this specific context, we set out to search for coping strategies (focused on emotion and on the problem) that these managers use to face the technostress experienced. For that, an exploratory research was developed with a qualitative approach. Research data were collected through in-depth interviews and field notes, due to the scope and specific context of the research, which will compose the analytical corpus of the study. As subjects of the research, there are the educational managers of the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) with management position and course coordination function. With regard to data analysis, interpretive textual analysis and templates analysis was used as an analytical lens. As a result, it was identified that socio-material practices are the tangle of managers (with the most diverse profiles, characteristics and areas of training) to WhatsApp. WhatsApp is mostly formed by the personal telephone number of the managers, having as one of the main characteristics the silent mode. The tasks performed are requests and responses to demands, information sharing, as well as sending and receiving documents, participating in groups, making decisions, in addition to several other activities. The contexts are very diverse, taking place in the Institution itself and anywhere, regardless of whether it is at night, on weekends, on holidays or on vacation. Techno invasion and techno overload are major threats. Work-home conflicts, techno-insecurity and role ambiguity present themselves as original threats. Interrupts enabled, appear as minor threats and techno complexity causes no threats. These techno-stressors gave rise to emotional tensions: anguish, anxiety, pressure, exhaustion, fear, guilt, etc. physical tensions: tiredness, insomnia and body aches, in addition to behavioral tensions: less satisfaction with work, low productivity. Among the strategies focused on emotions are: distancing, moving away, reflecting, among others, and behavioral strategies. Those focused on the problem appeared in greater numbers, such as: silence, instrumental, social and family support, learning by doing, managing, organizing tasks/priorities, creating rules in groups, helping colleagues, secretaries, taking care with messages sent, requesting sending by email, among others. It is important to emphasize that the strategies help in an attempt to alleviate technostress, since many of the stressful situations cannot be avoided, due to the position and the practice being socio-material, but need to be supported by managers and made aware in the organizational environment. There is a need for the organization to pay considerable attention to technostress in raising the commitment to the quality of life of the servers.