Smartphone addiction and employee productivity

The role of self-control

Abstract

The benefits of responsible smartphone use have been recorded across cultures and occupations all over the globe. Though smartphones have a lot of positive benefits, addiction to these devices can be detrimental to various aspects of living. The aim of the study was to investigate the possible relationship between smartphone addiction and employee productivity and to examine the moderating effect of self-control on this relationship. Participants for the study were selected through convenience sampling and consisted of 157 participants (Male = 85, Female = 72) between the ages of 18-46 years and a mean age of 28.82. Participants completed a questionnaire which comprised of demographic information and three different psychological scales; Smartphone Addiction Scale, Self-Control Scale, and the Endicott Work Productivity Scale. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between these variables, and results revealed a significant negative relationship between smartphone addiction and employee productivity. However, the interaction between self-control and smartphone addiction had no significant effect on employee productivity. The findings established that addiction to smartphone use has detrimental effect on productivity at work. However, the introduction of self-control was able to reduce the negative impact of smartphone addiction on work productivity though this finding was not significant. The study recommends that therapy for clients with smartphone addiction should include techniques to enhance self-control like time management trainings.