Smartphones, like most technologies, have made it easier for people to connect with each other, organize their lives and access information. But smartphones also have minimized the face-to-face time that remains essential to building trust among colleagues and between managers and employees.
A Harvard Business Review study found that employees who trust their managers tend to trust their organization’s leaders. Employers whose priority is building and maintaining employee engagement can’t afford to risk losing workers’ trust through disrespectful conduct such as “phubbing.” Superiors, however, must acknowledge their part in the problem. Asking bosses to constantly be on call creates a stressful work environment that makes it difficult for managers to actually manage their subordinates in a meaningful way.
