Does using a smartphone for work purposes “ruin” your leisure? Examining the role of smartphone use in work–leisure conflict and life satisfaction

This study examined a model centered on the concept of work-leisure conflict that included three antecedents (daily smartphone use, work overload due to smartphone use, and segmentation culture) and two consequences (work stress and life satisfaction). In all, 462 workers aged 19–55 years completed the survey instruments. Of 13 hypotheses, 10 were supported in the bivariate analyses, and the final structural model of significant factors demonstrated a good fit. Smartphone-based work overload (+) and segmentation culture (-) were associated with time- (T-WIL) and strain-based (S-WIL) work interference with leisure. These, in turn, were directly (S-WIL) and indirectly (T-WIL and S-WIL) associated with lower levels of life satisfaction. This study provides a model of smartphone use and its relationships to work–leisure conflict and related factors. These findings have implications for policy and practice related to work-based smartphone usage and highlight the possible detrimental and positive effects of technology on leisure.