Checking Email in the Bathroom: Monitoring Email Responsiveness Behavior in the Workplace

Abstract

The proliferation of email as a standard method of business communication necessitates research to understand effects on managers and their employees. This research investigates the phenomena of “email responsiveness,” defined as the extent to which individuals in the workplace perceive that they must prioritize how quickly they act in response to receiving an email, and “importance of connectedness,” defined as the priority individuals place on being connected to the organization. We present testable propositions that the social exchange mechanisms of leader-member exchange (LMX) and perceived organizational support (POS) are moderated by connectedness and thereby influence job attitudinal outcomes.