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Boss, look at me: how and when supervisor’s phubbing behavior affects employees’ supervisor identification

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Abstract

The psychosocial consequences of smartphone usage in public are widespread and well documented in personal relationships. However, this line of inquiry has recently gained momentum in the context of work relationships. This study examines the relationship between a supervisor’s phubbing behavior (using a smartphone while interacting with subordinates) and subordinates’ supervisor identification with the mediating role of subordinates’ psychological distress while testing the moderating role of subordinates’ self-control. Using structured questionnaires, time-lagged data were collected in three waves from frontline bank workers (n = 283), who work directly under their supervisors and require frequent interactions with them. The results indicate that supervisor phubbing reduces subordinates’ identification with the supervisor both directly and indirectly through psychological distress. Moreover, subordinates’ high self-control weakens the negative relationship between supervisor phubbing and subordinates’ supervisor identification. Implications for organizational executives and future research directions for scholars also are discussed.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Management Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Nawaz Khan & Khurram Shahzad

  2. University of Sharjah , Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

    Ifzal Ahmad

  3. Karakoram International University, Gilgit, Pakistan

    Ifzal Ahmad

  4. Department of Communication Studies, School of Communication and Film, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Jos Bartels

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Correspondence to Khurram Shahzad.

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Khan, M.N., Shahzad, K., Ahmad, I. et al. Boss, look at me: how and when supervisor’s phubbing behavior affects employees’ supervisor identification. Curr Psychol 42, 31064–31078 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-04120-9

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