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Grappling with modern technology: interruptions mediated by mobile devices impact older workers disproportionately

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Abstract

Mobile technologies have dramatically increased the number of work-related interruptions. In many organizations, employees must remain accessible and respond to these technology-mediated (T-M) interruptions even after regular work hours. Thus, demands from work interruptions can spill over into workers’ evening and family time, entailing role stress. Ultimately, workers can shy away from using the technologies they deem responsible, with negative impacts for organizations. This implies an indirect effect of demands from T-M interruptions through workers’ experiences of role stress on the use of mobile technology for work. At the same time, the workforce is aging rapidly, and there is a strong reason to assume that older workers may be significantly more susceptible to the negative impacts of interruptions than their younger counterparts. Therefore, the focus of this research is on examining whether the indirect effect of demands from T-M interruptions via workers’ experiences of role stress on the use of mobile technology depends on age such that it is stronger for older workers. Data collected from 135 younger and 137 older knowledge workers supported this idea. The data also show that experience with mobile devices can help older users manage the consequences of interruptions more effectively. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

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Notes

  1. Since the focus of this study is on interruptions that are mediated by mobile technologies, we use the terms T-M interruptions and mobile interruptions synonymously in this paper.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to the editors and reviewers for the help that they provided throughout the review process. In addition, we would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. HEC Montréal, Montreal, Canada

    Stefan Tams

  2. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, USA

    Varun Grover

  3. Temple University, Philadelphia, USA

    Jason Thatcher

  4. University of Louisville, Louisville, USA

    Manju Ahuja

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  1. Stefan Tams
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  2. Varun Grover
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Correspondence to Stefan Tams.

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Appendix: Measurement items for principal constructs

Appendix: Measurement items for principal constructs

Instructions sent to respondents:

The following questions ask about how you perceive or use mobile technologies i.e., PDA, smartphones etc. When answering these questions, please keep in mind the mobile technology that you use most frequently for work related purposes.

All items were on 7-point likert-type scales ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). An exception was the scale used to assess respondents’ use of mobile technology for work. This scale had different response options (see below for more details).

Demands from T-M interruptions (Ahuja et al. 2007; Chen and Karahanna 2018)

  • I feel overloaded because I receive more interruptions than I can process.

  • I feel rushed due to more frequent interruptions.

  • I feel busier because I must handle interruptions.

  • I feel pressure due to interruptions.

Role-based Stress (Ahuja et al. 2007)

My use of mobile devices for work results in…

  • the demands of my work interfering with my home and family life.

  • my job taking up more time and making it difficult to fulfill family responsibilities.

  • things I want to do at home do not getting done because of the demands my job puts on me.

  • my job producing stress that makes it difficult to fulfill family duties.

  • my making changes to my plans for family activities so that I can meet work-related demands.

Use of Mobile Technology for Work (Burton-Jones and Straub 2006; Karahanna et al. 2006)

  • How frequently do you access your mobile technology device? Response options: Never, a few times a year, monthly, weekly, daily, all the time.

  • During a typical day, how many minutes do you spend using your mobile technology device? Response options: 0, 1–20, 20–60, 60–120, 120–180, > 180.

  • Of all the features and functions available on your mobile technology device, what percentage would you estimate that you use on a fairly regular basis? Response options: < 10%, 10–24%, 25–49%, 50–74%, 75–94%, 95% + .

  • Approximately, what percentage of all your job functions is managed using your mobile technology device? Response options: ___%.

Mobile Experience (Taylor and Todd 1995; Venkatesh et al. 2003; Zhang and Venkatesh 2013)

  • I understand how to communicate using my mobile technology device.

  • I frequently use my mobile technology device to communicate.

  • Overall, I believe I am very familiar with my mobile technology device.

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Tams, S., Grover, V., Thatcher, J. et al. Grappling with modern technology: interruptions mediated by mobile devices impact older workers disproportionately. Inf Syst E-Bus Manage 20, 635–655 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-021-00526-3

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