From Bad to Microwork: Playful Work Coping and the Loss Cycle

Microwork refers to short tasks mediated by digital labor platforms. These tasks are often monotonous and simplistic (hindrance stressor) and may even expose individuals to disturbing content (threat stressor). Despite these adverse working conditions, many individuals continue to perform microwork because of limited viable alternatives to address financial precarity or simply to pass the time productively. Moreover, when they perform the work, their actions and output are closely monitored. This creates a paradoxical situation for workers. Adverse conditions typically elicit a fight-or-flight response (e.g., resistance or quitting). Yet, the lack of alternatives and control mechanisms pressures workers to do neither. Microworkers are compelled and pressured to persist and endure conditions they would normally avoid. How do individuals cope with adversities they cannot avoid?

We draw on transactional theories of stress and information-processing perspectives to examine potentially paradoxical behaviors of microworkers. Specifically, we aim to investigate the avoidant disengagement from tasks through play: playful work coping. We argue that while playful work coping may attenuate the immediate impact of stressors, it may also sustain exploitative conditions by obscuring them. We expect that individuals who face stressors experience more exhaustion and cynicism, which triggers maladaptive coping strategies, including playful work coping. At the same time, we expect that when individuals cope with work playfully, the relation of stressors with wellbeing and intentions to quit will diminish. Hence, playful work coping may constitute a double-edged sword.

To test this narrative, we will conduct three empirical studies. In the first, we will develop the measurement of playful work coping. We will use subject matter experts to select items, conduct exploratory factor analyses, and provide preliminary validity evidence. In the second, we will conduct confirmatory factor analyses, assess psychometric properties, and provide additional validity evidence. Finally, in the third, we use daily diary methodology to test our predictions.

Our research aims to contribute to the literature in three ways. First, by revealing how microworkers deal with stressors with little agency. While existing research has documented the precarious nature of microwork, we know little about how microworkers cope when neither fight nor flight responses are available. Second, our research may advance stress and coping research by introducing and investigating playful work coping. Currently, we know little about divergent short- and long-term consequences of coping responses. Third, we contribute to the play literature, which has predominantly investigated the bright side of play while ignoring potential detrimental consequences.