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Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology
Published in: Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology 1/2020

Open Access 01-12-2020 | Research

Boundarylessness and sleep quality among virtual team members – a pilot study from Germany

Authors: Elisabeth Rohwer, Ann-Christin Kordsmeyer, Volker Harth, Stefanie Mache

Published in: Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology | Issue 1/2020

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Abstract

Background

In the course of globalisation and digitalisation, new ways of work are becoming increasingly prevalent. To remain competitive as an organisation, cooperation across time, place, and organisational boundaries is becoming necessary. Virtual teamwork offers these advantages, but can also be both, an opportunity and a burden, for employees. This pilot study aims to gain first insights into job demands and resources in virtual teamwork to provide a basis for further research from which appropriate health promotion and prevention measures can be derived.

Methods

In this pilot study, an online questionnaire was used to examine the relationship between boundarylessness as a job demand, psychological detachment as a personal resource, as well as perceived stress and sleep quality as health outcomes among 46 virtual team members from Germany. Data collection lasted from October 2019 to January 2020. Validated scales were used for the questionnaire, except for virtuality. Due to insufficient operationalisation to date, a virtuality scale was developed based on the current state of research. The data were analysed with ordinal logistic regression analyses and median split t-tests.

Results

The results indicate that perceived stress impaired sleep quality of virtual team members in this sample. In contrast, successful psychological detachment from work was positively related to sleep quality. A higher degree of virtuality coincided with higher levels of boundarylessness. Virtual team members with leadership responsibility showed higher levels of psychological detachment.

Conclusion

The present pilot study breaks ground and provides initial insights into the relationship between virtual teamwork and employee health in the German context. Further research, particularly on job demands in virtual teamwork, is needed to derive concrete health promotion and prevention measures.
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Metadata
Title
Boundarylessness and sleep quality among virtual team members – a pilot study from Germany
Authors
Elisabeth Rohwer
Ann-Christin Kordsmeyer
Volker Harth
Stefanie Mache
Publication date
01-12-2020
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1745-6673
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12995-020-00281-0

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