REMOTE WORK FATIGUE AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN HYBRID WORK ENVIRONMENTS: A REVIEW
DOI:
10.5281/zenodo.23205378Published:
2026-10-07Downloads
Abstract
The widespread institutionalization of hybrid work arrangements has fundamentally reshaped modern employment, offering unprecedented flexibility while simultaneously introducing novel socio-technical stressors. This critical review systematically examines the complex relationship between remote work fatigue—encompassing videoconference exhaustion, digital overload, work-life boundary blurring, and cognitive depletion—and multidimensional employee engagement (vigor, dedication, and absorption). Synthesizing 16 benchmark empirical and conceptual studies published between 2021 and 2026 across high-impact management journals, this paper articulates the underlying psychological mechanisms governing fatigue accumulation and engagement erosion through the theoretical lenses of Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, and Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Our synthesis highlights how unmitigated digital demands deplete psychological capital, inducing ego depletion and professional isolation that directly undermine employee vigor and dedication. Furthermore, the review identifies key contextual moderators, including hybrid schedule autonomy, camera-off norms, asynchronous communication practices, and empathetic leadership support. Based on meta-synthesized structural path evidence, we propose a multi-level structural framework offering actionable managerial strategies to mitigate digital fatigue and foster sustainable employee engagement in post-pandemic hybrid workplaces.
Keywords:
Digital overload Employee engagement Hybrid work environments Remote work fatigue Videoconference fatigueReferences
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Copyright (c) 2026 Neneng Hamidah, Ramon Zamora, Lukmanul Hakim
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