Mobile phones during work and non-work time: A case study of mobile, non-managerial workers

This paper examines how some non-managerial/professional workers (mobile service engineers) used mobile phones for work, with a central focus on phone use during working hours. During working hours the engineers not only used their phones as work-related communication tools, but also as a tool to manage the work/non-work boundary. By examining non-managerial workers, and boundary management during work time the paper addresses a significant gap in knowledge. The data presented shows that while the boundary between work and non-work time at the start and end of the working day was clear, and that work demands rarely intruded upon non-work time, the situation with regard to working hours was quite different. Fundamentally, the way the engineers' used their mobile phones during working hours resulted in the work/non-work boundary regularly becoming blurred and unclear. A key reason why the engineers use their phones as a boundary management tool during working hours relates to the character of their work, where the engineers spent much of their working time alone, driving to client sites, and also due to the unpredictable opportunities the engineers had for face-to-face interaction with clients or colleagues.

Research Highlights► Examines the mobile phone use patterns of some spatially mobile engineers. ► Uses boundary theory to conceptualize the engineers’ phone use patterns. ► Highlights how the few work-related phone calls interrupted the engineers’ non-work time. ► Shows how the engineers phoned colleagues during work time for both work and social reasons.