The Use of Computers in Offices: Impact on Job Stress and Quality of Working Life

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This study examines the impact of computers on job stress and quality of working life. The main characteristic of the conceptual model in this study is that stress effects are determined by a combination of technology and job characteristics. The way work is organized and jobs are structured plays an important role in the relation between computer technology and job stress. The research model is tested with a population of office work (clerical workers and professionals) using various computer technology from one public service organization. The research uses multiple data collection methods (questionnaire, interviews and log-in's), multiple sources of information (employees, supervisors, information systems personnel), and multiple times of data-collection (2 times separated by one year). The longitudinal design will allow testing of the time-lagged and cumulative effects of computer technology on job stress, and the study of "natural" changes in computer technology characteristics. A four-week diary is conducted to measure computer technology characteristics and mood states and to examine the relationships between these variables, and job design and other measures of job stress. This focused study of the use of computers by office workers in one organization can increase our theoretical knowledge about the impact of computer use on job stress and quality of working life.