Smartphones at Work: A Qualitative Exploration of Psychological Antecedents and Impacts of Work-Related Smartphone Dependency

Abstract

This study explores the impacts and psychological antecedents of smartphone dependency at work. Analyzing semistructured interviews with 32 full-time employees in China, the findings show that dependence on smartphones at work seems to increase workers’ perceived job performance and workplace social capital. However, in the negative side, it seems to lead to the emergence of smartphone addiction symptoms such as anxiety and uncontrollable usage behavior. Notably, this study uncovers that, although smartphone dependency at work seems to enhance workers’ job performance, once such dependency turned to addiction, they perceived their performance to diminish. Besides, the findings show that conscientious employees and those with high smartphone self-efficacy are more likely to develop dependence on their smartphones at work. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.