A Systematic Review of Supervisor Phubbing: Current Knowledge and Research Gaps

Authors : Alisher Dedahanov, Muhammad Sodiq Rustamjonov, Azizakhon Atkhamova, Nodiraxon Bositxonova, Abdulkhamid Fayzullaev

Pages : 1119-1137

Doi:10.30622/tarr.1767337

View : 90 | Download : 196

Publication Date : 2025-12-30

Article Type : Review Paper

Abstract :With the growing integration of smartphones into the workplace, the need to understand their impacts is ever more pressing. In particular, the phenomenon known as supervisor phubbing – where supervisors engage with their mobile phones during interactions with employees - has gained increasing interest among scholars as more evidence presents its negative consequences. Despite the growing scholarly interest and the increasing number of empirical studies, comprehensive reviews of supervisor phubbing research remain scarce. Therefore, the present study conducts a Systematic Literature Review to comprehensively examine, synthesize, and critically evaluate the current body of literature on supervisor phubbing, identifying research gaps and suggesting directions for future research. While supervisor phubbing constitutes the central focus of this review, it also includes studies addressing related forms of workplace phubbing behavior. In total, 17 studies were included and categorized into supervisor phubbing, coworker phubbing, self-phubbing (self-initiated phubbing), and general workplace phubbing. Findings from the studies included in this review indicate that supervisor phubbing negatively affects workplace atmosphere, leading to decreased trust, job satisfaction, engagement, and performance while increasing presenteeism, incivility, ostracism, and cyberloafing. Meanwhile, mindfulness, self-control, power-distance, and enterprise social media usage mitigate some negative effects. By synthesizing fragmented research, this review clarifies existing knowledge on supervisor phubbing and workplace phubbing behaviors, as well as their consequences. The study also proposes practical implications, including the establishment of clear organizational norms regarding smartphone use and the implementation of awareness-raising training programs to reduce phubbing behavior in workplace. Despite these valuable insights, most of the existing studies tend to rely on cross-sectional and correlational designs, which limit the exploration of direct causal effects. Additionally, past research mostly focuses on specific cultures or industries, restricting generalizability. Therefore, based on the identified key research gaps and limitations, this study offers future research directions.
Keywords : örgütsel davranış, phubbing, yönetici phubbing’i, iş arkadaşı phubbing’i, iş yerinde phubbing

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