Digitalisation as a driver of psychosocial risks in post-pandemic workplaces with implications for psychosocial risk management

Digitalisation has become a defining feature of post-pandemic work, reshaping work organisation and creating psychosocial risk (PSR) patterns that are not always captured in established assessment frameworks. This qualitative study examines how digitalisation, including remote/hybrid work and the growing role of advanced systems, amplifies traditional PSRs and generates emerging risks, using Estonia as an information-rich case. Twelve semi- structured interviews were conducted with occupational health experts, including occupational psychologists and occupational health physicians, between November and December 2025. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Based on this Estonian expert sample, the analysis identified five interrelated PSR themes in post-pandemic digitalised workplaces: (1) work demands and workload, (2) organisational culture and change management, (3) social relations and isolation, (4) work‒life boundaries and availability, and (5) career insecurity and individual adaptation. Experts highlighted an increased cognitive load and ‘double work’ caused by poorly integrated systems and the need to check digital and AI-generated outputs. They also described uncertainty and limited involvement in change processes, loneliness and misunderstandings in digital communication, constant availability that reduces recovery, ongoing skills pressure, and perceived monitoring. Across themes, digitalisation functioned as a cross-cutting driver spanning widely used Cox’s PSR domains. The findings underline the need to make digitalisation explicit in PSR assessment and management by integrating technology-mediated exposure pathways into routine procedures and controls. This is important for designing effective workplace interventions, supporting employee well-being and resilience, and strengthening sustainable management practices ‒ so that digital transformation contributes not only to efficiency and innovation but also to healthier and more sustainable work environments.