Ignored by the boss: a moderated-mediation study of boss phubbing

Abstract

Introduction: This study investigates the workplace implications of boss phubbing (BP)—a managerial behavior in which supervisors prioritize smartphone use over face-to-face interactions with employees. Drawing on Expectancy Violation Theory (EVT), Social Exchange Theory (SET), and Leader– Member Exchange (LMX), BP is conceptualized as a negative relational signal that can undermine employees’ job attitudes. Methods: A moderated mediation model was tested to examine whether satisfaction with supervision (JDI) mediates the relationship between BP and job satisfaction, and whether power distance moderates the direct and indirect effects. Survey data were collected from 412 full-time employees and analyzed using PROCESS Model 7 with bootstrapping. Results and discussion: BP significantly reduced satisfaction with supervision (JDI), which in turn fully mediated its effect on job satisfaction; the direct effect of BP on job satisfaction was not significant. Power distance did not moderate the direct path from BP to satisfaction with supervision (JDI) but did moderate the indirect effect, which was stronger for employees low in power distance. Together, these findings indicate that boss phubbing operates primarily through relational exchange processes and that cultural value orientations shape the extent to which inattentive leadership undermines employees’ job attitudes. These results contribute to the growing literature on digital workplace behaviors by clarifying how, and under what conditions, boss phubbing erodes employee outcomes.