Examining Techno-Stress and Work–Personal Conflict of Gig Workers in the Indian IT Sector : The Moderating Role of Gender
Authors
-
K. Thriveni Kumari
Professor, Delhi School of Business, AU Block, Outer Ring Road, Pitampura, Delhi - 110 034
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7290-0230
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2025/v18i11/173903Keywords:
gig workers, gender, IT sector, techno-stress, work–personal conflict (WPC).JEL Classification Codes : I31, J24, J53, M12, M54, M50
Publication Chronology: Paper Submission Date : October 20, 2024 ; Paper sent back for Revision : August 30, 2025 ; Paper Acceptance Date : September 20, 2025 ; Paper Published Online : November 15, 2025
Abstract
Purpose : Gig workers in the IT industry are employed on a contract basis for a paid project, typically for a short period. The purpose of the study was to examine the techno-stress (TS) of gig workers working in the IT sector.
Design/Methodology/Approach : The study was conducted with 294 gig workers working in various Indian IT companies. Further, the study examined the role of gender as a moderator. Using factor analysis, correlation, and hierarchical regression analysis, the data were analyzed and explained with SPSS 21.0. Interaction software was used to explain the moderating effect of gender.
Findings : Technical ambiguity, technical burden, job risk (JR), technical complexities, and managerial support are the variables considered for reading the TS effect on personal-work conflict of gig workers. The results showed that all the variables considered for TS had a significant influence on the work–personal conflict of gig workers. Further, the study also identified variations in the case of gender as moderators, which resulted in a significant relationship between the variables. Therefore, the study addressed the need to consider the determinants that influenced TS among gig workers in the IT industry.
Practical Implications : The article provided policies that would reduce the gig workers’ TS and improve the quality of work and personal life domains.
Originality/Value : The article helped to understand how TS influenced work–personal conflict, which is identified to be useful for gig employees working in the IT sector.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
References
1) Abbott, R. (2020). The reasonable robot: Artificial intelligence and the law. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108631761
2) Ali, K. T., & Sivasubramanian, R. C. (2024). Understanding the nexus between techno-stress, psychological well-being, and the moderating role of job resources in the gig economy. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-024-09505-5
3) Amancherla, S., Balasundaram, S., & Basavaraj, S. (2024). Championing inclusion: Understanding LGBT diversity and social support in the workplace. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 17(12), 64–82. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2024/v17i12/174057
4) Armstrong, G. S., Atkin-Plunk, C. A., & Wells, J. (2015). The relationship between work-family conflict, correctional officer job stress, and job satisfaction. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 42(10), 1066–1082. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854815582221
5) Califf, C. B., Sarker, S., & Sarker, S. (2020). The bright and dark sides of technostress: A mixed-methods study involving healthcare IT. MIS Quarterly, 44(2), 809–856. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2020/14818
6) Caplan, R. D., Cobb, S., & French, J. R. (1975). Relationships of cessation of smoking with job stress, personality, and social support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60(2), 211–219. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0076471
7) Carlson, D. S., Kacmar, K. M., & Williams, L. J. (2000). Construction and initial validation of a multidimensional measure of work-family conflict. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 56(2), 249–276. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1999.1713
8) Chambel, M. J., Castanheira, F., & Santos, A. (2023). Teleworking in times of COVID-19: The role of family-supportive supervisor behaviors in workers' work-family management, exhaustion, and work engagement. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 34(15), 2924–2959. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2022.2063064
9) Copanitsanou, P., Fotos, N., & Brokalaki, H. (2017). Effects of work environment on patient and nurse outcomes. British Journal of Nursing, 26(3), 172–176. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2017.26.3.172
10) Deshpande, R., & Chakraborty, D. (2023). Impact of work stressors on career commitment: A study of Indian IT sector employees. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 16(11), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2023/v16i11/173214
11) Dutta, D., & Mishra, S. K. (2024). “Technology is killing me!”: The moderating effect of the organization home–work interface on the linkage between technostress and stress at work. Information Technology & People, 37(6), 2203–2222. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-03-2022-0169
12) Faizan, R., & Haque, A. U. (2019). Working efficiency of contrasting genders under eustress, distress, hyper-stress, and hypo-stress. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 12(11), 32–46. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2019/v12i11/148411
13) Ingusci, E., Signore, F., Giancaspro, M. L., Manuti, A., Molino, M., Russo, V., Zito, M., & Cortese, C. G. (2021). Workload, techno overload, and behavioral stress during the COVID-19 emergency: The role of job crafting in remote work. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.655148
14) Ioannou, A., Lycett, M., & Marshan, A. (2024). The role of mindfulness in mitigating the negative consequences of techno-stress. Information Systems Frontiers, 24, 523–549. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-021-10239-0
15) Jain, S. (2022). Wellbeing and work productivity of Indian educators during imposed online teaching in higher education institutions. International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion, 13(1), 57–82. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJWOE.2022.121981
16) Joseph, A., Linge, A. A., & Muley, A. (2025). Herzberg's motivation–hygiene theory and employee retention: Evidence from the IT & ITES industry. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 18(4), 72–95. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2025/v18i4/174317
17) Kumari, K. T. (2020). Effect of professional attributes on professional–life conflict: Gender as a moderator in the Indian IT industry. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 13(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2020/v13i1/149946
18) Kumari, K. T. (2021). Effect of career determinants on employee engagement in Indian IT sector: Gender as moderator. International Journal of Human Capital and Information Technology Professionals, 12(4), 18–30. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJHCITP.2021100102
19) Kumari, K. T. (2022a). Adverse effect of work role stress on family role conflict among married IT professionals in India. International Journal of Human Capital and Information Technology Professionals, 13(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJHCITP.299065
20) Kumari, K. T. (2022b). Work/family conflict and career advancement: Demographic differences as moderators among IT employees. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 15(9), 25–39. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2022/v15i9/172193
21) Kumari, T., & Vangapandu, R. D. (2021). Impact of work–family conflict on career development of knowledge workers in the Indian IT sector: Examining moderating effect of age. International Journal of Human Capital and Information Technology Professionals, 12(3), 37–53. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJHCITP.2021070103
22) Lapierre, L. M., Li, Y., Kwan, H. K., Greenhaus, J. H., DiRenzo, M. S., & Shao, P. (2018). A meta-analysis of the antecedents of work–family enrichment. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(4), 385–401. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2234
23) Mahapatra, M., & Pillai, R. (2018). Technostress in organizations: A review of literature. Proceedings of the 26th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2018). https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2018_rp/99
24) Mani, V. (2024, June 17). Tech gig economy grows, India to have 23.5 million workers by 2030. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/111048791.cms
25) Marchand, A., Blanc, M.-E., & Durand, P. (2015). Gender, age, occupation category, economic sector, and mental health in the workplace: The results of the SALVEO study. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 106(4), e223–e229. https://doi.org/10.17269/cjph.106.4672
26) Mondal, S., Sharma, A., & Panackal, N. (2025). A study of the impact of social capital on job satisfaction: The mediating and moderating role of social trust and academic leadership. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 18(4), 8–30. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2025/v18i4/174314
27) NASSCOM. (2015). Contribution of India's tech industry to the U.S. economy. https://www.nasscom.in
28) Ni, G., Miao, X., Li, L., Li, H., Wang, S., & Niu, M. (2022). Can professionalization alleviate job burnout in construction workers in China? A multivariable mediating model. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(21), 13879. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192113879
29) Oren, L., & Levin, L. (2017). Work–family conflict/enrichment: The role of personal resources. International Journal of Manpower, 38(8), 1102–1113. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-06-2014-0135
30) Peng, B., & Potipiroon, W. (2022). Fear of losing jobs during COVID-19: Can psychological capital alleviate job insecurity and job stress? Behavioral Sciences, 12(6), 168. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12060168
31) Rashmi, K., Kataria, A., & Singh, R. (2021). Work–life balance: A review and future research agenda. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 14(2), 8–25. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2021/v14i2/157690
32) Spector, P. E. (1985). Measurement of human service staff satisfaction: Development of the professional satisfaction survey. American Journal of Community Psychology, 13(6), 693–713. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00929796
33) Syed, A. A., Gupta, S., Rai, D., & Tripathi, R. (2022). Assessing if challenge stressors work as a source of motivation among the employees in the Indian banking industry. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 15(3), 59–67. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2022/v15i3/162842
34) Tams, S., Thatcher, J. B., & Grover, V. (2018). Concentration, competence, confidence, and capture: An experimental study of age, interruption-based technostress, and task performance. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 19(9), 857–908. https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00511
35) Tang, L., Miao, R., & Jiang, L. (2020). Employee political skill, supervisor–subordinate guanxi and work–family conflict: The cross-level moderating role of family-friendly practices. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(15), Article no. 5185. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155185
36) Tarafdar, M., Pullins, E. B., & Ragu-Nathan, T. S. (2014). Examining the impacts of technostress on the professional salesperson's behavioural performance. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 34(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2013.870184
37) Tiwari, S., & Bhagat, D. (2021). Moderating effect of emotional intelligence on occupational stress and burnout of health care professionals. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 14(4), 39–54. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2021/v14i4/158724
38) Turel, O., & Gaudioso, F. (2018). Techno-stressors, distress and strain: The roles of leadership and competitive climates. Cognition, Technology & Work, 20(2), 309–324. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-018-0461-7
39) Umair, A., Conboy, K., & Whelan, E. (2023). Examining technostress and its impact on worker well-being in the digital gig economy. Internet Research, 33(7), 206–242. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-03-2022-0214
40) Verma, P., & Sharma, Y. S. (2023, June 7). Tech slowdown toll: 6 out of 10 companies hiring more gig workers. The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/tech-slowdown-toll-6-out-of-10-companies-hiring-more-gig-workers/articleshow/100801813.cms
41) Wang, C., Cong, T., & Chen, J. (2025). How the interplay between algorithmic HRM systems promotes gig workers' self‐efficacy: The role of technostressors. Human Resource Management, 64(4), 943–963. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22294
42) Wang, H. M., Ma, A. L., & Guo, T. T. (2020). Gender concept, work pressure, and work–family conflict. American Journal of Men's Health, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988320957522
43) Yadav, R. K., & Yadav, S. S. (2014). Impact of work–life balance and stress management on job satisfaction among the working women in public sector banks. International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, 26, 63–70. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279742858
44) Yu, H. H. (2019). Work–life balance: An exploratory analysis of family-friendly policies for reducing turnover intentions among women in U.S. federal law enforcement. International Journal of Public Administration, 42(4), 345–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2018.1463541
45) Zhang, Y., Rasheed, I. M., & Luqman, A. (2020). Work–family conflict and turnover intention among Chinese nurses: The combined role of job and life satisfaction and perceived supervisor support. Personnel Review, 49(5), 1140–1156. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-01-2019-0017
