Chapter 10

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Mobile Communication Comparisons Between Diverse Workers

This chapter combined the data from all the workers (150 different people across 35 diverse occupations) whose stories I share in this book. As I examine the characteristics of specific jobs that influence mobile communication at work, four categories emerge: autonomy, mobility, task variability, and communication focus. People who have low autonomy in doing their work typically have predictable times when they have mobile access—breaks—but spend the bulk of their days without that access. Workers with a high degree of autonomy are reachable more often, but their access isn’t necessarily predictable: they might be in a closed-door meeting. It’s acceptable to use mobile devices when employees enjoy higher autonomy, more mobility, and task variability. But people who do repetitive jobs, work in a single location, and have little autonomy are more subject to managerial control and have fewer times where their mobile use is considered acceptable.

Changing communities by capitalizing on research in communication technologies.