📄 Abstract
As AI-driven management tools increasingly shape hybrid IT work environments, concerns have emerged around their impact on employee emotional well-being. This study investigates the phenomenon of invisible burnout—an unreported psychological strain triggered by continuous AI surveillance and emotional conformity. Employees often feel they must hide their tiredness to meet what the AI systems expect, which increases their stress and goes unnoticed by regular HR processes. To explore this issue, an approach was employed combining structured surveys (n = 150) with semi-structured interviews among IT professionals working in hybrid settings. Quantitative data were analysed using Pearson correlation and regression techniques, while qualitative responses were subjected to thematic analysis. The results revealed high levels of emotional fatigue and burnout, significantly associated with technological and organizational stressors. Notably, a strong negative correlation emerged between policy awareness and burnout, suggesting that employees with better knowledge of emotional wellness policies experienced lower stress levels. The findings emphasize a critical gap in AI governance—namely, the insufficient integration of emotional well-being frameworks. This study contributes to the growing discourse on ethical AI use in the workplace and highlights the urgency for emotion-sensitive policies, transparent communication, and trust-building initiatives. Addressing invisible burnout is essential not only for sustaining employee health but also for promoting long-term organizational resilience in an increasingly digitized work culture.
🏷️ Keywords
📚 How to Cite:
Navya Murthy , Dr.Divya Thankom Varghese , THE IMPACT OF AI ON MANAGING EMOTIONAL SUSTAINABILITY AND EXPLORING HIDDEN BURNOUT IN HYBRID IT WORK ENVIRONMENT , Volume 13 , Issue 8, August 2026, EPRA International Journal of Economics, Business and Management Studies (EBMS) , Pages: 103 - 116 ,