@article{2024-IJHCS-EffectsOfCoworkersStress,
   author = {Zhang, Ning and Yu, Bin and Hu, Jun and Li, Min and An, Pengcheng},
   title = {I'm Not Upset–I Get It: Effects of Co-workers' Stress Cues on Help-seekers' Social Diction and Empathy in Telecommuting},
   journal = {International Journal of Human-Computer Studies},
   pages = {103218},
   abstract = {In both remote and physical work environments, it is commonplace for help-seeking messages to be rejected by other colleagues. This paper investigates how signifying co-workers’ stress status would influence the social diction and empathy of help-seekers in the specific context of rejection. 36 participants were recruited to perform help-seeking tasks with virtual co-workers via a professional mobile messaging application (Trillian). Their device was tailored with a vibrotactile mechanism (TacStatus), which could signify different emotional states of the co-workers: no-cue, relaxed, normal, and stressful. Independent sample Friedman nonparametric tests were conducted to analyze the social diction and empathy of the participants in their messages for help-seeking and responses to the co-workers’ rejection. This study revealed that stress cues have observable impacts on the social diction and empathy of help-seekers. Stressful and relaxed cues were found to evidently shape the social diction of help-seekers. When confronted with negative cues, such as stressfulness, help-seekers tended to exhibit positive emotions after been rejected. On the other hand, when faced with a relaxed co-worker, the help-seeker felt disappointed and unaccepted after being rejected. This study attempts to reveal the mechanism through which stress cues influence professional mobile messaging interactions and collaboration. The findings could provide valuable implications for the design of socio-emotional cues in the context of mobile instant messaging.},
   keywords = {socio-emotional cues
stress
social diction
empathy
telecommuting},
   DOI = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2024.103218},
   PDF = {http://www.drhu.eu/publications/2024-IJHCS-EffectsOfCoworkersStress.pdf},
   year = {2024}
}