december2021 - 34

BRIDGING THE GAP
6 Tips for Managing Technostress
WHERE WOULD WE be without technology? It allows us to work from anywhere, communicate
with people across the globe in an instant, and get more done in less time than
we've ever dreamed possible. But there's a downside: technostress. You and your team
may be feeling it even if you've never heard the term before. And it's important to learn
how to manage it if we want to continue moving our firms and our people forward.
WHAT IS
TECHNOSTRESS?
Technostress is the stress and negative
psychological impact of introducing
new technologies at work, in life
and in play. It can impact our health
in several ways: emotional, social,
mental and cultural. The explosion
of video conferencing, instant
messaging, social media and other
cloud-based tools might seem like
the obvious culprit, but technostress
isn't new. It was first used in 1984 in
response to the widespread adoption
of computers in the workplace.
5 TYPES OF
TECHNO-STRESSORS
Technostress usually comes from four
different areas:
■ Techno-invasion. Feeling like you
always need to be available due to
technology, you must sacrifice time
to keep current on new technologies,
and your personal life is being invaded
by technology.
■ Techno-overload. Feeling like you're
forced to do more work than you
can handle or forced to work with
very tight time schedules due to
technology.
■ Techno-complexity. Feeling like
you don't know enough about a new
technology to handle it satisfactorily
or don't have enough time to study
and upgrade your technology skills.
■ Techno-uncertainty. Feeling like
continual technological progress and
shorter lifecycles for computers and
other devices means your knowledge
is constantly out-of-date.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
OF TECHNOSTRESS
It can be difficult to recognize the
signs and symptoms of technostress
because the response is the same for
other types of stress. Do you recognize
any of the following in yourself or your
team members?
■ Physical: Frequent headaches, soreness,
fatigue or an inability to relax
■ Mental: Increased errors, lower
productivity, concentration problems
and low morale
■ Emotional: Panic attacks, anxiety, an
isolationist attitude and reduced job
satisfaction
If you see these signs, it's crucial
to address technostress. Ignoring the
problem can lead to exhaustion and
burnout, which can lead to disengagement
and turnover.
MANAGING
TECHNOSTRESS
Fortunately, there are ways to manage
technostress that don't require going
back to 12-column ledgers or paper
routing sheets. In fact, the regular use
of technology in the right way can build
coping skills. Here are some tips for
managing technostress in your team.
■ Assess the stress. The first step is to
get a clear picture of the current situation
in your firm. Consider sending
a short monthly survey to your team
using a tool like SurveyMonkey to get
an idea of where people are struggling.
■ Increase awareness. The concept of
technostress isn't new, but it's one
many people are unfamiliar with.
Talk to your team about technostress,
34 DECEMBER 2021 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
its causes and symptoms. Make sure
people know they can speak up if
they're struggling or feel like they
need additional training.
■ Set and protect boundaries. Most
of us have felt the pull to respond to
emails on evenings and weekends,
and the situation often gets worse
when people work from home. As a
leader in your firm, set an example
by taking the time to disconnect
from work and not sending emails
at all hours.
■ Improve technology training.
Supplying proper training on new
tools and systems can alleviate
feelings of techno-complexity and
techno-uncertainty.
■ Update your processes to align with
new technologies. Shoving new
technology into ineffective processes
won't make your team more productive.
In fact, it often has the opposite
effect. Each time you introduce new
technology, it's crucial to review and
update your processes.
■ Reduce unnecessary communications.
Video conferencing, email,
instant messag ing, workflow
applications and other tools allow us
to communicate anytime, anywhere.
But without guidelines around which
tools to use for which purpose, they
can lead to communication overload
and stress people out.
Getting a handle on technostress
will only become more necessary as
our workplaces become increasingly
digital. Make sure everyone in your
firm is aware of the causes and effects
of technostress and take steps to mitigate
them. This will help protect your
team and keep them happy, healthy
and productive. ■
MARC STAUT
Chief Innovation And Technology Officer
Boomer Consulting, Inc.
marc.staut@cpapracticeadvisor.com
http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
december2021

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