Camera-On Pressure and Emotional Exhaustion: The Mediating Role of Impression-Management Effort

Abstract

The normative expectation of sustained camera visibility in organisational videoconferencing constitutes an emergent category of social-evaluative work demand whose psychological consequences remain theoretically underspecified and empirically underexamined, particularly within non-Western organisational settings. Drawing on Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) theory and the ego depletion framework, this study conceptualises impression management effort as the primary resource-depleting mechanism through which Camera-on pressure is associated with emotional exhaustion among corporate executives. The inquiry is situated within the Sri Lankan organisational context, extending examination of these relationships to a non-Western corporate setting. A cross-sectional survey design was employed, with data gathered from 217 corporate executives operating within virtual and hybrid work arrangements across Sri Lankan organisations. Hypothesised relationships were tested using PLS-SEM via SmartPLS. Structural estimates revealed that Camera-on pressure significantly and positively predicted impression management effort, which in turn significantly and positively predicted emotional exhaustion. The specific indirect effect was statistically significant, providing support for partial mediation. Collectively, these findings identify impression management effort as a proximal resource-depleting pathway linking Camera-on pressure to emotional exhaustion, thereby extending JD-R and ego depletion theorising to technology-mediated professional work. The study advances understanding of videoconference-related strain mechanisms while generating implications for human resource policy and virtual work governance. Limitations, boundary conditions, and directions for future longitudinal and cross-cultural inquiry are discussed.