Digital Workload, Well-Being, and Professional Identity of University Academics: A Systematic Literature Review

Despite digital technology having improved accessibility and flexibility, scholars highlighted that it has intensified workload pressure and changed professional experiences, particularly for university academics. This paper aims to review how university academics' professional identities and well-being are affected by their digital workload. The study used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to determine the connection between university academics' digital workload and their professional identities and well-being. The initial search gave 1258 records. After removing duplicates and screening titles and abstracts, 1068 records were excluded. 190 full-text articles were screened, resulting in an exclusion of 150 studies that did not use Job Demands-Resources (JD-R). Finally, 40 studies met all inclusion criteria. Results revealed a negative relationship between digital workload and well-being, and some of them view digital workload as a source of stress. The connection between well-being and professional identity has been found to differ, and some authors believe that professional identity is a stable construct that is impacted by digitalisation indirectly through well-being outcomes. Thus, the study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by integrating existing research findings on the interconnected impact of digital workload on the well-being and professional identity of university academics. The findings provide an inclusive framework for understanding the consequences of digital transformation in higher education and suggest that more mixed-method research is required on digital transformation to improve the well-being and professional identity of university academics.