The Phenomenon of Phubbing in Organizational Settings: Exploring the Interrelations Among Ostracism, Voice, and Turnover Intention Through a Moderated Mediation Model

An employee’s understanding of the social context, which is formed through interactions with colleagues and managers, influences their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors at work. Social information processing theory (SIPT) posits that an individual’s perception of their social environment significantly determines their behavior. In this regard, the cues employees receive from their workplace are pivotal in shaping their attitude toward their job. This study seeks to assess the impact of being phubbed on turnover intention using a moderated (voice) mediation (ostracism) model grounded in SIPT. This model measures the effect of being phubbed on the intention to quit and determines how organizational ostracism and voice play a role in the relationship between these two variables. The research model was tested using Hayes’ Model 14 in SPSS. The sample included 143 participants from tour operators through convenience sampling. The results showed that being phubbed positively correlated with intention to quit and ostracism. Being phubbed also affected the intention to quit through partial mediation of ostracism, and organizational voice moderated this conditional indirect effect.