Introduction
The paper examines whether smartphones should be banned in the workplace to mitigate unwanted consequences and enhance productivity. To achieve this goal and prove the necessity of prohibiting the use of these devices, the current research on the topic is reviewed. The paper offers examples of the adverse impacts of smartphones on individuals and employees, such as the development of addiction to social media, fear, anxiety, communication problems, and the growth of employers’ dissatisfaction levels. The paper concludes that, contrary to some opinions viewing smartphones as beneficial, their banning will have positive impacts on performance, employees’ health, and productivity.
Smartphone Use in the Workplace
Technology addiction is one of the serious problems of the modern world, which is often considered insignificant by individuals, but it has a substantial impact on their lives. Nowadays, with the increasing popularity of smartphones in this digital age, many employees have relied heavily on these electronic devices to communicate with each other during work hours and also use them as a form of leisure during breaks. Moreover, in many cases, individuals use smartphones to access social media and use it for various purposes. On the one hand, it helps them to remain in touch with close people and remain informed about recent events.
However, from another, it might be a source of distraction and numerous adverse effects. Do the benefits of using mobile phones in the workplace outweigh the disadvantages? Some would argue that the use of smartphones is beneficial, as it can increase staff communication efficiency and positively motivate them. However, this paper posits that the usage of smartphones should be banned in the workplace. Using a smartphone will lead to lower productivity at work.
Firstly, the paper will delve into the effects of smartphone use on employees’ performance to gain a deeper understanding of the topic. It will also help establish the basis for discussion and conclusion. Second, the discussion will focus on the impact of social media addiction and excessive smartphone use on decreased productivity and the inability to meet employers’ demands.
Third, the paper will examine the arguments in favor of using smartphones in the workplace and refute them using credible evidence. It will help to prove the assumption made above and support the central idea of the paper. In this way, the study will demonstrate that excessive smartphone use in the workplace may lead to a significant decline in productivity and numerous adverse effects. Counter to some arguments that view the effects of the devices as beneficial, smartphones should be banned, as in most cases, they are misused by employees and distract them.
Literature Review
The question of whether smartphones should be banned in the workplace is a relevant issue linked to performance management. Thus, a growing body of research supports the idea that excessive smartphone use might lead to numerous adverse effects. For instance, Wacks and Weinstein (2021) suggest that it may be associated with psychiatric, cognitive, emotional, and brain changes that can impact a person’s well-being. Furthermore, smartphone users have a risk of acquiring strong addiction and fear of missing out, characterised by anxiety over missing out on rewarding experiences that others have (Rozgonjuk et al., 2020). As a result, this tendency may lead to numerous distractions and have adverse effects on daily life and productivity at work (Rozgonjuk et al., 2020).
The situation is complicated because there is a constantly increasing number of Internet users and the opportunity to access the Internet. Priyadarshini et al. (2020) report a significant increase in Internet use in the workplace over the last five years. It is associated with the growing popularity of social media and its importance for users (Priyadarshini et al., 2020). Individuals use these platforms at home and at their workplaces, which affects their behavior, relationships with others, and productivity (Priyadarshini et al., 2020).
Moreover, employees recognise the scope of the problem as it is becoming one of the factors impacting their performance. The study by Chadi et al. (2022) shows that participants perceived smartphone use during work as a significant issue. It may impact their concentration and attention levels, indicating a need for targeted solutions to address the issue.
However, some research suggests that smartphone use may be associated with positive tendencies and changes in employees’ behaviors. For instance, Tsai (2023) investigated the effects of cyberloafing, or visiting non-work-related websites, on employee performance. He concluded that the trend cultivates creativity and proactive behaviours among employees (Tsai, 2023).
Furthermore, cyberloafing was found to facilitate informal interactions in the workplace, which in turn were associated with positive outcomes (Tsai, 2023). The study by Ismail et al. (2021) explores the same issue, noting that the effects of employees visiting social media can be both positive and negative. The impacts depend on the duration of time spent and the ability to perform work-related responsibilities (Ismail et al., 2021).
On the one hand, the positive effects of cyberloafing have been proven; on the other hand, the study demonstrates a positive relationship between internet leisure browsing and productivity (Ismail et al., 2021). In this way, the idea that smartphone use has positive impacts on employees and their performance is doubted. Most authors support the idea that the bans will have a positive impact on performance. It will help to reduce the number of distractions and prevent the development of addiction to using social media or smartphones. The findings also support the primary assumption of the proposed paper, as they promote the necessity of prohibiting smartphones in workplaces as a way to help employees perform at their best.
Effects of Smartphones’ Use on Employees
The tendency towards increased time spent using smartphones gives rise to numerous concerns related to the potential effects this trend may have on individuals and their performance. The situation is complicated by the fact that the addictive behaviours among the users are not researched appropriately (Wacks & Weinstein, 2021). However, there is credible evidence showing that the excessive use of these devices might lead to the development of numerous adverse effects. These might include communication difficulties because of the lack of experience in real-life interactions (Wacks & Weinstein, 2021).
The impaired cognitive function might also be associated with smartphone use and the inability to control time spent on the activity (Wacks & Weinstein, 2021). Furthermore, there is a high risk of emotional and brain changes (Wacks & Weinstein, 2021). In such a way, excessive smartphone use is a strong predictor of the emergence of adverse changes among individuals.
Another problem with smartphone use is that individuals might feel anxiety when having no access to their devices. Fear of missing out is one of the serious themes relevant when speaking about employees and their performance (Rozgonjuk et al., 2020). It leads to the emergence and development of anxiety, which negatively impacts performance and focus (Rozgonjuk et al., 2020). Employees who are not able to check news and their accounts regularly suffer from feelings of being separated from the community and need constant check-ins to remain in touch. As a result, they might make mistakes, and their productivity will suffer.
Finally, there is credible evidence showing that smartphones distract from work. The research among workers proves they agree that smartphones are an essential source of distraction (Chadi et al., 2022). For this reason, their ban cannot be considered an attempt to limit personal freedom; on the contrary, it is an effective measure to cultivate higher performance levels and avoid complex complications. In such a way, smartphones might be a source of numerous adverse effects among employees, impacting their productivity and focus levels.
Social Media Addiction and Performance
Another reason justifying the necessity to prohibit using smartphones at work is the high risk of developing addiction and associated issues. Social media such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram require much attention, which leads to the continuously growing Internet usage. As a result, in the last five years, the amount of time spent on the Internet has become critical, and there is a tendency towards its further increase (Priyadarshini et al., 2020). Employees report feeling addicted to social media as they need to use it at home and in the workplace (Priyadarshini et al., 2020). It transforms into a serious concern essential for the functioning of the organisation, its outcomes, and the work of teams.
In such a way, social media addiction should be considered one of the factors associated with smartphone use. Individuals who have the problem report conflicts in their professional and personal relationships (Priyadarshini et al., 2020). Furthermore, it can lead to the development of an insecurity complex (Priyadarshini et al., 2020).
Moreover, employees addicted to social media fail to meet their employers’ expectations because of decreased performance and a lack of focus on work issues (Priyadarshini et al., 2020). It means that there is a direct correlation between the amount of time spent using media at the workplace and the results demonstrated by an employee. The most active smartphone users cannot compete with individuals who focus on tasks and do not think about their social media accounts.
Therefore, banning smartphones in the workplace can be a measure to address the question of social media addiction and poor performance. The effectiveness of the approach can also be justified by the fact that employees are likely to accept the ban as an intervention to increase their performance rather than a sign of distrust (Chadi et al., 2022). Smartphones are a potential threat to performance in routine work tasks and can impact outcomes (Chadi et al., 2022). For this reason, the introduction of new rules limiting access to this technology during work hours is a potent tool to boost performance and guarantee that employees will show better results.
Possible Positive Effects
There is also the idea that smartphones might have a positive impact on individuals during their work. For instance, cyberloafing implies that employees engage in activities on the Internet that are not linked to their direct duties or performance (Tsai, 2023). On the one hand, it can be a source of distraction because of the focus on other things irrelevant to the existing firm’s goals.
From another one, cyberloafing might be correlated with creativity and proactive behaviours demonstrated by employees (Tsai, 2023). It can be viewed as a way to relax by switching activities, checking social media, or e-mails (Tsai, 2023). Performing these tasks, individuals take a pause and release stress levels.
However, the positive effects of cyberloafing remain disputable, and many research works delve into the same problem. The impacts of this activity might depend on the duration of web-browsing or other activities that are not related to the job (Ismail et al., 2021). It means that when an employee is too focused on social media and spends much time checking their accounts, their productivity will reduce, and there will be no chance to demonstrate creativity or engagement. It means that the positive impacts of using smartphones at the workplace as a tool to relax are ambiguous, as they are correlated with the time spent on this activity.
At the same time, the larger number of relevant sources evidence that banning smartphone use in the workplace can boost performance and increase productivity levels. Moreover, it will help to avoid the further development of addiction to social media and the emergence of conditions such as the fear of missing out. Furthermore, the reduced use of smartphones will help to avoid severe damage to communication skills, emotions, and the brain. These factors outweigh the disputable effects of cyberloafing and its relationship with productivity and creativity. For this reason, the discussion proves the necessity of banning smartphones in the workplace.
Conclusion
Altogether, the increasing popularity of smartphones results in their broad use by employees at their workplaces. They might employ the device for various purposes, including communication, web browsing, texting, or checking their social media accounts. The research shows that the amount of time spent on using smartphones continues to increase. For this reason, the question of whether the benefits of using mobile phones in the workplace should be allowed is becoming topical. While some research works admit the benefits of cyberloafing and its positive impact on performance, most literature proves that smartphones negatively impact employees’ performance and should be banned in the workplace.
The development of communication problems, lack of concentration, emotional and brain issues, and the emergence of developmental issues are among the complications that are most often associated with excessive smartphone use. For this reason, banning these devices is one of the potent tools to boost performance and productivity.
The research also shows that most employees view their smartphones as a distraction. They agree that the prohibition of the devices’ use is not a sign of distrust or an attempt to interfere with personal life; however, it is an excellent strategy to protect their well-being and attain better results. The reduction of time spent in the virtual world is vital for improving personal and professional spheres. Thus, contrary to claims that these devices have positive effects, smartphones should be prohibited because employees often misuse them, leading to distractions.
References
Chadi, A., Mechtel, M., & Mertins, V. (2022). Smartphone bans and workplace performance. Experimental Economics: A Journal of the Economic Science Association, 25(1), 287–317. Web.
Ismail, F., Sam, M., & Isa, S. (2021). Impact factors of cyberloafing on employees’ productivity in Malaysia institute of higher learning. Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal, 27(5), 1–10.
Priyadarshini, C., Dubey, R., Kumar, Y., & Jha, R. (2020). Impact of social media addiction on employees’ wellbeing and work productivity. Qualitative Report, 25(1), 181–196. Web.
Rozgonjuk, D., Sindermann, C., Elhai, J. D., & Montag, C. (2020). Fear of missing out (FoMO) and social media’s impact on daily-life and productivity at work: Do WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat use disorders mediate that association?Addictive Behaviors, 110, 106487–106487. Web.
Tsai, H. (2023). Do you feel like being proactive day? How daily cyberloafing influences creativity and proactive behavior: The moderating roles of work environment. Computers in Human Behavior, 138(C), 107470. Web.
Wacks, & Weinstein, A. M. (2021). Excessive smartphone use is associated with health problems in adolescents and young adults. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 669042–669042. Web.