Effects of work-related digital technology on occupational health in the public sector: A scoping review.

Abstract

BackgroundDespite a growing literature on how digitalisation affects service quality, justice, and accountability in the public sector, research on the effects on the work and work environment of public employees is scarce.ObjectiveTo present and discuss existing evidence and identify knowledge gaps related to how digitalization affects the work and work environment of public sector employees.MethodsThis scoping review is based on peer reviewed academic journal articles in English found in PubMed, PsycINFO, Business Source Premier (EBSCO) and Scopus.ResultsThe review included 52 studies, of which most focused on office or care workers. An increase in studies since 2020 indicates growing interest in the topic. Challenges among screen-level bureaucrats included work-life balance problems, technostress and fear of job loss. Among street-level bureaucrats, reported challenges included curtailed discretion, lack of user involvement and ethical stress. Identified knowledge gaps include the small number of studies with a work environment focus in general and on sectors beyond office and health settings in particular, few studies set outside of Europe and absence of studies on recent phenomena such as AI or algorithmic management.ConclusionsIn view of the presented scarcity of research, we suggest that relevant questions are included in national and local surveys to enable more research, that more studies are conducted in occupational sectors, countries and regions lacking this type of research, and that comparative research is stimulated to uncover differences between the effects of digitalisation on occupational health in private and public sector work settings.