Mapping The Human Experience in Digital Workspaces: A Scoping Review on ‎Employee Engagement, Work-Life Balance and Stress in The IT Sector

  • Authors

    • Nagendra Bisht Research Scholar, Indus Institute of Management Studies: Indus University Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
    • Dr. Dipti Sethi Professor Indus Institute of Management Studies: Indus University Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
    https://doi.org/10.14419/x1t5eg38

    Received date: June 12, 2025

    Accepted date: June 20, 2025

    Published date: July 1, 2025

  • Employee Engagement; Work-Life Balance; Workplace Stress; IT Sector; Scoping Review

  • Abstract

    Purpose: This article explores the dynamic interplay of employee engagement, work-life balance, and workplace stress within the ‎digitalized work environments of the IT and IT-enabled services (ITES) sector. It aims to map existing research trends, ‎identify conceptual overlaps, and expose critical gaps in the literature that impact human resource practices.‎

    Design/methodology/approach: Guided by the PRISMA-ScR framework, this review examined peer-reviewed articles published between 2005 and 2024 ‎across five electronic databases: Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, and EBSCO. Inclusion criteria ‎required studies to focus on IT/ITES professionals and cover at least one of the three core themes. After initial screening ‎of 387 titles and abstracts, 56 studies were selected for full-text review and synthesis.‎

    Findings: A detailed examination revealed that while individual engagement themes, work-life balance, and stress are well-studied, their inter remain under-theorized—especially in high-pressure, digitally-driven industries. Most studies ‎emphasized structural solutions (e.g., flexible policies), but few addressed the emotional or cognitive dimensions of ‎employee experience. Demographic variances in how engagement and stress manifest—particularly across age, gender, ‎and role hierarchy—emerged as a critical but understudied area.‎

    Research limitations/implications: This review is limited to English-language, peer-reviewed studies and may underrepresent grey literature or emerging ‎non-traditional work contexts such as gig platforms or AI-mediated roles. Future reviews could benefit from mixed-method synthesis and cross-sector comparisons.‎

    Practical implications: Organizations must reframe engagement and well-being strategies as dynamic, human-centered, and context-aware. HR ‎policies must go beyond compliance and recognition to include psychological safety, autonomy, and demographic ‎inclusivity as levers of sustainable performance.‎

    Originality/value: This is the first scoping review to systematically examine how engagement, work-life balance, and stress interact within ‎the IT/ITES domain through a people-first lens. It challenges conventional HRM practices and offers an integrated ‎framework to inform both academic inquiry and organizational action‎.

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  • How to Cite

    Bisht, N. ., & Sethi, D. D. . (2025). Mapping The Human Experience in Digital Workspaces: A Scoping Review on ‎Employee Engagement, Work-Life Balance and Stress in The IT Sector. International Journal of Accounting and Economics Studies, 12(2), 321-329. https://doi.org/10.14419/x1t5eg38