Title: Are mobile devices threatening your work-life balance?

Authors: Wiley S. Brown; Prashant Palvia

Addresses: Information Systems & Supply Chain Management, Bryan School of Business and Economics, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina 27402-6165, USA ' Information Systems & Supply Chain Management, Bryan School of Business and Economics, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina 27402-6165, USA

Abstract: Employees are constantly engaging in new technologies that allow them to connect to the work place from different locations and at different time periods. The increased ubiquity of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and in particular the use of mobile devices has coincidentally increased the number of hours employees are spending on work related tasks. This study seeks to further previous qualitative research on the influence of mobile device use on individuals. The main objective is to understand how mobile devices influence the work-life balance of business professionals by exploring the relationships between mobile device usage, productivity, employer expectations, flexibility of work structure, and work-life balance. After examining previous literature, a model is developed to formulate hypothesised relationships. An instrument was developed and a survey was conducted. Interesting results emerge contributing to academic knowledge while also helping to gain a better understanding of a current challenge facing many organisations.

Keywords: mobile devices; mobile device usage; work-life balance; productivity; work structure flexibility; employer expectations; flexible work structures; working hours.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMC.2015.069128

International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2015 Vol.13 No.3, pp.317 - 338

Received: 08 Jun 2013
Accepted: 06 Apr 2014
Published online: 29 Apr 2015 *

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