Psychological safety, job crafting, and future work self: The moderating effect of techno-stressors

Abstract

This study examines how employees utilize resources in a psychologically safe environment, as well as how the presence of techno-stressors affects resource conservation. Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we developed and tested a model for how techno-stressors moderate the relationships between psychological safety and both psychological (i.e., future work self) and behavioral (i.e., social and structural job crafting) outcomes. Results indicated that psychological safety was positively related to social job crafting. Techno-invasion moderated the relationship between psychological safety and future work self, while techno-overload moderated the relationship between psychological safety and structural job crafting. Post hoc analyses unveiled a three-way interaction effect on social job crafting that involved psychological safety, techno-overload, and gender. The findings offer insights into how employees manage techno-stressors in resource-rich environments, providing implications for both research and practice in organizational settings.