Description
Advances in technology and other societal trends (e.g., the glorification of busyness) have changed workplace communication. These changes in communication (e.g., e-mail and shared collaborative documents) present unique opportunities for workers to engage in impression management (IM) that have not been extensively explored yet. I propose that talking about busyness (TAB) and workplace telepressure are related to IM in the modern workplace. The present study examined workplace impression management within the context of virtuality and gender. A convenience sample of 294 workers completed the survey. The sample was 53% female, and most had a Bachelor’s (35%) or graduate degree (33.7%). Multiple regression (including controls for gender and age) indicated that PSC was a significant predictor of TAB, suggesting that participants who reported higher PSC also reported talking about their busyness more. Workplace telepressure was also a significant predictor of TAB, implying that those who experienced more telepressure also talked about their busyness more. Women reported experiencing telepressure and talking about busyness more than men, indicating that there are significant gender differences in both TAB and telepressure. These findings suggest that individual characteristics such as PSC and workplace telepressure are positively related to self-reported talking about one’s busyness, which lends some support to the idea that TAB, PSC, and workplace telepressure constructs are related to impression management at work. These findings represent an early contribution to our understanding of the complex dynamics of gender, impression management, and wellbeing in the workplace.
