Professionally phubbed: A mixed-method experiment measuring the effects of phone snubbing behavior during a job interview

Abstract

Phubbing (i.e., ignoring someone while using a phone) may occur at work, having an impact on the phubbee, the phubber, and the organization at large. We used a mixed-method experiment to examine the impact of phubbing on different work-related variables such as objective performance, subjective states, and first impression judgments during job interviews. Ninety-three participants took part in a simulated job interview based on the Trier Social Stress Test. In the experimental group, participants were repeatedly phubbed during both the interview and the performance test. At the end of the experiment, phubbed participants were asked to describe their experience, and thematic analysis was used to evaluate their responses. Overall, the results of the quantitative analysis revealed that first impressions, judgments, and subjective states were negatively affected by phubbing. Regarding performance, a within-session analysis revealed that participants performed faster on a performance test (mental arithmetic task) when they were not phubbed compared to when they were. A qualitative analysis of responses revealed considerable differences between interviewees in their use of coping strategies (e.g., rationalization of phubbing). These findings suggest the need to address phubbing in a professional setting.