DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS AT WORK: EVIDENCE FROM ROUND 10 OF THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL SURVEY FOR 13 FORMER TRANSITION COUNTRIES

Abstract

Abstract The growing use of digital communication technologies, including instant messaging, videoconferencing, and real-time collaboration platforms, has transformed organisational communication and reshaped working conditions across Europe. The effects of these technologies on employees’ work experiences are multifaceted. On the one hand, digital communication can increase autonomy, flexibility, coordination, and efficiency. However, it may create expectations of constant connectivity and continuous digital availability. The widespread adoption of digital tools can therefore improve collaboration while simultaneously increasing the risks of information overload, weakened interpersonal relationships, and technostress. This paper presents selected findings on employees’ attitudes towards digital communication in the workplace, drawing on recent cross-national data from Round 10 of the European Social Survey and covering 13 former transition economies. The survey includes a set of questionnaire items that enable the construction of variables for examining respondents’ perceptions of work-related digital communication practices. The analysis focuses on respondents’ assessments of the extent to which digital communication facilitates work coordination and improves job effectiveness. Particular attention is given to communication with colleagues and line managers in written form, including text messages, emails, and messaging applications, and through screen-based communication such as videoconferencing. The study also considers differences associated with respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, including gender, age, and educational attainment. The findings contribute to a better understanding of how employees experience digitally mediated communication in the workplace. They also reveal considerable potential for further research into the relationships between digital communication, work-life interference, job satisfaction, labour-market inequalities, technostress, and other relevant dimensions of contemporary employment.