Experiencing Burnout in the Digital Workplace: Insights into Meaning, Identity, and Connection among Hybrid Employees

Abstract

The rapid expansion of hybrid work systems has reshaped human experiences in organizational life, merging digital efficiency with evolving psychological and social challenges. Within this broader transformation, understanding how employees interpret and respond to burnout in digitally mediated environments has become an essential focus of Human Resource Management research. However, existing studies predominantly rely on quantitative frameworks that measure burnout through external indicators, offering limited insight into the lived meanings underlying the phenomenon. This study addresses that gap by exploring how hybrid employees make sense of burnout within technology-driven workplaces using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit twelve hybrid employees who met key criteria—regular engagement in digital–remote workflows and demonstrated experiences of prolonged work-related strain—ensuring depth and relevance of experiential accounts. Analytical procedures followed core IPA stages, including iterative reading, initial noting, emergent theme development, and cross-case pattern identification. The analysis revealed four interconnected themes: digital pressure and overload, blurred work-life boundaries, loss of meaning, and adaptive resilience. These findings demonstrate that burnout is experienced as an existential condition, where employees struggle to maintain authenticity, purpose, and connection amid constant digital connectivity. Unlike previous phenomenological burnout research that often centers on emotional exhaustion or job demands, this study uniquely highlights how digital infrastructures actively shape identity tension and meaning disruption in hybrid work settings. The study provides a deeper understanding of the human side of digital work, suggesting that addressing burnout requires more than policy intervention—it demands a human-centered redesign of digital ecosystems grounded in employees’ meaning-making processes. The results extend phenomenological inquiry within HRM and offer a conceptual foundation for future research on well-being and identity in post-digital work environments.