Para além dos processos: explorando o technostress nos advogados e suas estratégias de enfrentamento

Abstract

The general objective of this research is to analyze the technostress emerging from the use of technologies in the work of lawyers and their coping strategies. Technostress occurs when an individual negatively evaluates their experience when using technology at work, which can result in emotional, physical and behavioral tensions. To deal with these tensions, it is common for individuals to adopt coping strategies to mitigate technostress. The legal profession has undergone significant changes due to technologies, transforming a physical work routine into a virtual one, which has forced professionals to adapt. This is an exploratory research, which adopts a qualitative approach, using the narrative method. Data were collected through semi structured interviews. The research subjects were lawyers registered with the OAB/RS and who have more than 15 active cases in the Eproc system. Twenty lawyers were interviewed. Interpretative analysis was used for data analysis. The results indicate that technostress and its effects manifest themselves in various ways in the lawyers' daily lives. The eproc system, the computer and the cell phone on WhatsApp were the technological tools most used by the interviewees for work. Considering the dynamics of the context explored, it was possible to verify the presence of technostress in some of the dimensions studied. In addition, the paradox experienced by lawyers in relation to technology at work was noted. They perceive some actions as beneficial, but at the same time as a problem. The presence of physical and emotional tensions experienced by lawyers is evident; behavioral tensions, although less present, were also felt. All interviewees mentioned coping strategies, among which it is possible to highlight distancing, changing tasks, changing perspective, seeking support and reorganizing work. The strategies adopted by lawyers may have emerged as a form of techno-resilience, aiming at the necessary adaptation to continue working. In this study, techno-resilience is defined as the individual's ability to adapt when dealing with stressful situations related to the use of technology, adopting strategies to face these challenges. New patterns of behavior adopted by lawyers due to the intensive use of technology in the workplace were identified. The results contribute to the theory by expanding the concept of technostress to a little-studied context. They also contribute in a practical-managerial way so that lawyers and management teams develop effective strategies to recognize and manage the tensions generated by technostress. Methodologically, it contributes to the application of new dimensions of technostress, specific to the context to be researched. As contributions to society, the study seeks to improve the health and well-being of lawyers, indirectly promoting the improvement in the quality of services provided to society. For future studies, it is suggested to expand the application of this research to a national level, in a quantitative way, making use of the theoretical basis used and the findings of this study, which may come to structure a research questionnaire for application of a survey with lawyers, as well as more studies on technostress and AI.