How do knowledge workers with flexible jobs manage constant connectivity? An affordance perspective

Knowledge workers’ use of digital technologies and enactment of constant connectivity has been regarded an issue causing interruptions of their work. Such interruptions or distractions from work have been argued to have not only negative impacts but also some benefits to work. In this paper, we qualitatively studied how the use of different forms of digital communication technologies can have the outcomes specified in the extant literature. Drawing upon the concept of affordances, we have found that individual (self-efficacy) and organisational factors (nature of work, perception of Internet use policies, and organisational norms) play a role in the ways that knowledge workers perceive connectivity. We found that participants’ perception of connectivity lead to attentive or preventive reactions to digital technologies