Antecedents and Consequences of Work-Related Smartphone Use on Vacation: An Exploratory Study of Taiwanese Tourists

Given the proliferation of smartphone use, more and more people feel obligated to stay connected to work during evening hours, weekends, or vacations. Therefore, building on work-family border theory (Clark 2000), which suggests the blending of work and nonwork domains can result in work-family interference, this study investigated the potential problems of work-related smartphone use on vacation. Derived from a sample of 500 Taiwanese smartphone users, results revealed that nearly 40% of respondents used their smartphones for work during their most recent vacation, while a majority reported negative impacts as a result of using smartphones for work purposes on vacation. Several factors influencing whether people would choose to use smartphones for work during vacation were also identified. These findings provide important theoretical and practical implications.