Digital sustainability and technology-driven workplaces: a perspective of job demands–resources theory in service industry

Abstract

Digital transformation has fundamentally reshaped contemporary workplaces, enabling organizations to improve operational efficiency, service quality, and innovation. However, sustainable digital transformation extends beyond technological adoption to encompass employees’ psychological health and long-term organizational resilience, collectively referred to as digital sustainability. Drawing upon the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, the current study investigates how digital work demands influence workplace stress and employee well-being while examining emotional intelligence as a critical personal resource that buffers the adverse consequences of technology-induced stress. A quantitative research design was employed using survey data collected from 286 employees working in digitally intensive service organizations across India, including banking, information technology, telecommunications, and online customer support. Correlation, regression and structural equation modelling were employed to examine the proposed relationships. The findings indicate that digital work demands significantly increase workplace stress, whereas emotional intelligence substantially reduces stress and positively contributes to employee well-being. Although the moderation effect was statistically insignificant, the findings suggest that personal resources independently contribute to employee adaptation while organizational interventions remain necessary to reduce excessive digital demands. These findings extend the JD-R framework by demonstrating that digital sustainability is achieved not solely through technological capability but through an effective balance between digital job demands and employees’ psychological resources. The study contributes to emerging digital literature by integrating technostress, emotional intelligence and employee well-being within a unified theoretical framework in the context of Indian service industry. Practical implications suggest that organizations should complement digital transformation initiatives with structured emotional intelligence development, digital well-being programs, leadership interventions, and human-centric practices to ensure sustainable organizational performance.