Are you on your phone working from home? Beware, it can affect your spouse’s work life

Extra time spent on mobile devices after work can result in lower job satisfaction and create tension in marital life that spills over to the spouse’s workplace, says a new study.

Do you use your cell phone at home for work? If yes, then you may need to avoid this habit, as according to a study it may not only have negative implications on you but also on your spouse’s work life. The results showed that use of a mobile device during family time resulted in lower job satisfaction and lower job performance. A previous study by the UN said that people who telework have a tendency to work longer hours, and have higher levels of stress as a result of overlapping paid work and personal life.

Researchers Wayne Crawford from the University of Texas at Arlington, Dawn Carson from Baylor University, Meredith Thompson from Utah State University, Wendy Boswell and Dwayne Whitten from Texas A&M University also conducted the study.

“It’s really no surprise that conflict was created when a spouse is using a mobile device at home,” Crawford said. “So, whether companies care or don’t care about employees being plugged in, those firms need to know that the relationship tension created by their interaction with their employees during non-work hours ultimately leads to work-life trouble,” Crawford explained.

The team examined 344 married couples who worked full-time and used mobile devices or tablets at home for work purposes. Crawford explained that there is plenty of research on technology and how it affects employees, but they wanted to see if this technology use carried over to affect the spouse negatively at work.

“That extra time spent on mobile devices after hours might not be worth it if the grief it causes results in productivity losses once the conflict is carried back to work,” Rasheed said. The research appears in the journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

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