Research Article
Open Access
Workplace Telepressure and Turnover Intention in the Chinese Civil Aviation Industry
1
Faculty of Health and Wellness, City University of Macau, Macau 999078, China
2
Beijing Andawell Science & Technology Co., LTD, Beijing 101300, China
3
Law School, Guangzhou College of Commerce, Guangzhou 510000, China
* Corresponding Author:
Zhaohui Wu,
[email protected]
Volume 3, Issue 3
2026
Received: 04 February 2026
Revised: 29 March 2026
Accepted: 06 April 2026
Published: 11 September 2026
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CC BY 4.0 License
Article Information
Published in
Journal of Social Systems and Policy Analysis
Volume/Issue
Volume 3, Issue 3, 2026
Pages
155-166
Abstract
Digital connectivity in the aviation industry can foster an ``always-on'' culture, creating workplace telepressure, defined as the urge to respond to work-related messages immediately. Drawing on Conservation of Resources Theory, we examine whether job burnout mediates the association between workplace telepressure and turnover intention using survey data from 201 employees in China's civil aviation industry across multiple occupational categories. Results show that workplace telepressure is positively associated with job burnout, and that job burnout fully mediates the relationship between workplace telepressure and turnover intention. Psychological detachment serves as a key boundary condition: it buffers the effect of workplace telepressure on job burnout and weakens the indirect effect of workplace telepressure on turnover intention through job burnout. These findings suggest that airlines should implement policies that support employees' right to disconnect and strengthen recovery opportunities to reduce the hidden costs of digital connectivity and support retention in high-stakes settings.
Graphical Abstract
Keywords
workplace telepressure
job burnout
psychological detachment
turnover intention
civil aviation industry
Data Availability Statement
Data will be made available on request.
Funding
This work was supported without any funding.
Conflicts of Interest
Hongtaijia Hou is affiliated with the Beijing Andawell Science \& Technology Co., LTD, Beijing 101300, China. The authors declare that this affiliation had no influence on the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or the decision to publish, and that no other competing interests exist.
AI Use Statement
The authors declare that no generative AI was used in the preparation of this manuscript.
Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate
This study involved an anonymous, non-interventional questionnaire survey of adult participants. Participation was entirely voluntary. Prior to completing the questionnaire, all participants were informed of the study's purpose, the voluntary nature of participation, and the confidentiality of their responses. Informed consent was obtained from all participants through their voluntary completion of the questionnaire, which included a consent statement on the first page. No personally identifiable information was collected. In accordance with the institutional review requirements of the authors' affiliated institutions, formal ethical approval was not required for this anonymous, minimal-risk
survey study.
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APA Style
Wu, Z., Hou, H., & Shi, M. (2026). Workplace Telepressure and Turnover Intention in the Chinese Civil Aviation Industry. Journal of Social Systems and Policy Analysis, 3(3), 155-166. https://doi.org/10.62762/JSSPA.2026.849555
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TY - JOUR AU - Wu, Zhaohui AU - Hou, Hongtaijia AU - Shi, Mengyi PY - 2026 DA - 2026/09/11 TI - Workplace Telepressure and Turnover Intention in the Chinese Civil Aviation Industry JO - Journal of Social Systems and Policy Analysis T2 - Journal of Social Systems and Policy Analysis JF - Journal of Social Systems and Policy Analysis VL - 3 IS - 3 SP - 155 EP - 166 DO - 10.62762/JSSPA.2026.849555 UR - https://www.icck.org/article/abs/JSSPA.2026.849555 KW - workplace telepressure KW - job burnout KW - psychological detachment KW - turnover intention KW - civil aviation industry AB - Digital connectivity in the aviation industry can foster an ``always-on'' culture, creating workplace telepressure, defined as the urge to respond to work-related messages immediately. Drawing on Conservation of Resources Theory, we examine whether job burnout mediates the association between workplace telepressure and turnover intention using survey data from 201 employees in China's civil aviation industry across multiple occupational categories. Results show that workplace telepressure is positively associated with job burnout, and that job burnout fully mediates the relationship between workplace telepressure and turnover intention. Psychological detachment serves as a key boundary condition: it buffers the effect of workplace telepressure on job burnout and weakens the indirect effect of workplace telepressure on turnover intention through job burnout. These findings suggest that airlines should implement policies that support employees' right to disconnect and strengthen recovery opportunities to reduce the hidden costs of digital connectivity and support retention in high-stakes settings. SN - 3068-5540 PB - Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge LA - English ER -
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@article{Wu2026Workplace,
author = {Zhaohui Wu and Hongtaijia Hou and Mengyi Shi},
title = {Workplace Telepressure and Turnover Intention in the Chinese Civil Aviation Industry},
journal = {Journal of Social Systems and Policy Analysis},
year = {2026},
volume = {3},
number = {3},
pages = {155-166},
doi = {10.62762/JSSPA.2026.849555},
url = {https://www.icck.org/article/abs/JSSPA.2026.849555},
abstract = {Digital connectivity in the aviation industry can foster an ``always-on'' culture, creating workplace telepressure, defined as the urge to respond to work-related messages immediately. Drawing on Conservation of Resources Theory, we examine whether job burnout mediates the association between workplace telepressure and turnover intention using survey data from 201 employees in China's civil aviation industry across multiple occupational categories. Results show that workplace telepressure is positively associated with job burnout, and that job burnout fully mediates the relationship between workplace telepressure and turnover intention. Psychological detachment serves as a key boundary condition: it buffers the effect of workplace telepressure on job burnout and weakens the indirect effect of workplace telepressure on turnover intention through job burnout. These findings suggest that airlines should implement policies that support employees' right to disconnect and strengthen recovery opportunities to reduce the hidden costs of digital connectivity and support retention in high-stakes settings.},
keywords = {workplace telepressure, job burnout, psychological detachment, turnover intention, civil aviation industry},
issn = {3068-5540},
publisher = {Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge}
}
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