Smartphone use and work related wellbeing

Abstract

While the smartphone allows employees to connect with work “anytime and anywhere”, the demands to carry out work related tasks outside work hours may translate into extra demands on employees and incur negative outcomes such as work related fatigue. Alternatively, smartphone use may help to distract the employee from work issues or recover from the demands of work, though activities such as music and games. With Singapore having the highest smartphone penetration rate per capita (90% of the population) in the world, this study aimed to explore associations between both work related and personal smartphone use in non-work time and work related rumination, fatigue, and job stress in full-time employed Singaporean adults. Sixty-seven male and female working adults (mean age 36.5years, SD=9.35) from a diverse range of occupations completed online measures of work related and personal smartphone use during non-work hours and work related rumination, detachment, fatigue and recovery. The results indicated that smartphone use significantly decreased with increasing age. Further, work related smartphone use was significantly, positively correlated with personal use, problem-solving pondering but also work demand. Personal smartphone use also significantly, positively correlated with problem-solving pondering. Psychological detachment was the best predictor of personal smartphone use. The findings suggest that work related smartphone use in non-work time may facilitate work performance through problem solving, whilst personal use may promote psychological detachment from work. However, the link between work related smartphone use and job demand may signal risk. More research is required in a smartphone dense population such as Singapore to clarify these relationships.