The impact of technostress on older workers seeking knowledge from younger colleagues: an emotional perspective

Purpose This research aims to explore the impact of technostress on older workers, with a focus on how technostress induces two types of envy and subsequently affects older workers’ knowledge-seeking behaviors from younger colleagues. This work also examines the moderating effects of a prove performance goal orientation (PPGO) on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach This study draws on the cognitive‒motivational‒relational theory of emotion and the social functional view of emotions to propose a moderated mediation model with the goal of investigating the impact of technostress on older workers seeking knowledge from younger colleagues. Online data were collected from a sample of 317 older workers across three waves. The majority of participants resided in the UK or the US. Findings The results of this research reveal that older workers’ technostress is positively related to two forms of envy, which mediate the relationship between technostress and seeking knowledge from younger colleagues. Additionally, PPGO strengthens the relationship between technostress and malicious envy, as well as the indirect relationship between technostress and seeking knowledge from younger colleagues via malicious envy. In contrast, PPGO does not moderate the corresponding relationship via benign envy. Originality/value This study extends the current technostress literature by shifting the focus from individual outcomes to the relational consequences of technostress within the workplace. This work also emphasizes the essential role of emotions in managing technostress, offering insights into how these emotional responses shape workplace dynamics. Furthermore, this study introduces a novel perspective by examining how older employees are increasingly depending on younger colleagues for technological expertise.