The effects of job demands of enterprise social media on employees' outcomes: a curvilinear mediated model

PurposeExtant research has paid considerable attention to the effects of enterprise social media (ESM) on employees' work attitudes and outcomes, yet the authors know little about the influence of job demands arising from the implementation of ESM. Drawing on resource allocation theory, the purpose of this study is to unravel how ESM-related job demands influence employee outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducts a two-wave time-lagged survey of 223 employees from 53 teams in 14 financial service firms in China to test the conceptual model.FindingsThe findings of this paper indicate that ESM-related job demands have indirect effects on employee outcomes (i.e. job satisfaction and work–family conflict), and emotional exhaustion plays an intermediary role in these relationships. Specifically, ESM-related job demands have a U-shaped effect on emotional exhaustion.Originality/valueThis study combines job demands with ESM research and clarifies the mechanism behind how ESM-related job demands at different intensity affect employee outcomes from a new perspective. Moreover, this study’s findings suggest several beneficial courses of action for managers to take advantage of ESM.