Excessive Mobile Use and Family-Work Conflict: A Resource Drain Theory Approach to Examine Their Effects on Productivity and Well-Being

Abstract

Given the pervasiveness of mobile technologies, it is important for organizations to gain a better understanding of the potential benefits and unexpected negative consequences of mobile use. Recent research outlined that 76% of employees in the United States handled work-related e-mails during nonwork time, and this phenomenon has been further amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, which emphasized the pivotal role of constant connectivity and distributed work arrangements. Our research aims at providing a better understanding of why individuals engage in excessive use of mobile devices for work purposes during nonwork time and to elucidate the effects of such behavior. Our results show that investing time and energy in family demands during work time reduces individuals’ ability to fulfill job demands and leads to excessive mobile use during nonwork time. Such excessive use increases the individual perception productivity, but it comes at a cost in terms of physiological, psychological, and relational well-being because it prevents individuals to restore their energies. Our results show also that a competitive climate within the organization exacerbates such negative effects on well-being, thus elucidating the pivotal role of organizational policies and interventions in supporting a responsible use of mobile technologies.