Abstract
Given the changing nature of work and the introduction of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), work is becoming more automated. Employees need to learn new skills to adapt to the changes. These changes have an impact on employee well-being (i.e. work engagement and burnout). Therefore the drivers of and consequences of technology acceptance become important to assist employees to adapt to the changing nature of work. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of technology acceptance and technology readiness on employees’ levels of well-being.
This study used a quantitative research technique and convenience sampling (a non-probability sampling method) to select participants. This study used survey research designs (cross-sectional survey research design) to gather data from participants. The results were based on a sample of 143 participants who were working in the financial sector and at the College of Business and Economics from the University of Johannesburg.
The correlation analysis findings revealed that there was a positive path coefficient between technology readiness (optimism and innovativeness) and work engagement. Furthermore, the results revealed that innovativeness and insecurity significantly correlated with personal burnout. Surprisingly, the results indicated that there was no statistically significant correlation between technology acceptance and employee well-being. The partial least squares (PLS) results indicated that technology acceptance does not mediate the relationship between technology readiness and well-being.
Recommendations that were noted are that subsequent research should try and get a bigger sample size, and other sectors or industries should be explored to see if results vary per industry. Demographics, such as education level, should be considered to see if it plays a role in how individuals experience technology.
Keywords: Well-being, work engagement, burnout, technology acceptance, technology readiness.