Purpose A workplace leader’s phubbing (snubbing by using the phone) can create social distance between the leader and employee. We tested whether this social distance might reduce trust, with a negative impact on job performance. The negative impact might be especially strong for employees with a high need for social approval (NFSA). Methods Full-time employees (N = 246; 51.63% male, M age = 35.07, SD = 8.62) in Eastern China completed anonymous questionnaires. The data were collected in three waves with a 2-week interval between each wave. The SPSS macro PROCESS was used to test all research hypotheses. Results Regression-based analyses were used to test a moderated serial mediation model. Leader phubbing was associated with employees’ poorer job performance, and this association was mediated by social distance and in turn, low trust. The negative effects of leader phubbing were stronger for employees with a higher NFSA. Conclusion This study adds new evidence to the literature on phubbing by showing that employees’ perceptions of leader phubbing might hinder employee job performance. Furthermore, the boundary condition of employee NFSA was emphasized and further expanded the literature in this field. This research provides insights into how the negative impact of leader phubbing on employee job performance can be prevented or reduced.

No abstract

Purpose Drawing on a costs-benefit analysis perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between managerial openness and employee voice and its boundary conditions. Design/methodology/approach This study collected three waves of data by surveying 326 pairs of employees and their supervisors. The hypotheses were tested by using Hayes’s (2018) SPSS macro application with a bootstrap approach to obtain confidence intervals. Findings Managerial openness facilitates employee voice by decreasing perceived voice costs. Felt obligation positively moderates the direct as well as the indirect relationship between perceived voice costs and employee voice. Originality/value This study uncovers the alternative mechanism underlying the relationship between managerial openness and employee voice as well as the boundary condition of this relationship.