Digital Distraction, Non-Digital Distraction and Psychological Bearing of Remote Workers

Abstract Working from home has become prevalent during and after the pandemic lockdown due to the benefits of saving commuting time and working with a flexible schedule. On the other hand, remote workers face the challenge of being digitally distracted as they rely on digital devices to do work. Extant studies mainly focus on classrooms and digital device availability as the chief cause of digital distraction. Yet, some studies suggest that distraction also comes from our own minds. This study looks into remote workers' psychological factors and hypothesizes that the degree of digital distraction is affected by internal (psychological bearing) and external (work urgency) factors. In addition, it posits that digital distraction is closely associated with non-digital distraction. Our results confirm that remote workers' mental factors play significant roles, and those workers are distracted both digitally and non-digitally. A key implication is that we should not single out digital devices as a cause for distraction. We should pay more attention to the mental status of remote workers and their non-digital distractions besides viewing digital devices as conduits for distraction.