The Dark and Bright Sides of Personal Use of Technology at Work: A Job Demands-Resources Model

Personal use of technology at work is increasingly controversial as seen in ongoing debates between control and flexibility approaches. Proponents of control emphasize negative consequences and argue for restrictions and monitoring whereas those for flexibility highlight positive consequences and advocate for employee discretion. We build consensus between these two approaches by adopting the Job Demands-Resources model to show why the personal use of technology at work has both negative and positive effects on employees and then we theorize about several boundary conditions that mitigate or strengthen these effects. We discuss theoretical implications with suggestions for future research and empirical testing and conclude with practical implications for the changing workforce.