Innocent Excuses

In today's workplace, despite the seamless integration of digital tools, employees often hesitate to engage fully in meetings. This behavior suggests a dynamic where digital devices serve as convenient scapegoats, blurring personal and professional boundaries. Balancing productivity and digital distractions presents a moral dilemma. To understand this, we conducted in-depth interviews with seven employees, revealing motivations behind device use and excuses to seek respite. I aim to explore the complexities of digital device usage at work, including motivations and obstacles to meeting engagement.

In today's workplace landscape, the widespread utilization of digital devices as excuses during meetings poses a contemporary challenge, disrupting collaborative dynamics and casting doubt on its implications for productivity. This project endeavors to uncover the underlying motivations driving this behavior, examining the excuses rooted in digital device usage that prompt individuals to disengage from meetings.

My goal is to understand why people use digital devices as excuses in workplace meetings. I know this is a problem that affects how teams work together. By looking closely at why this happens, I aim to explain the reasons behind it. I want to figure out why employees say they need to use their devices during meetings. My mission is to provide useful information that helps companies improve how they work together and make meetings more effective.

I started with a literature review to understand existing research and identify gaps. Then, I conducted in-depth interviews to gather qualitative data on individuals' experiences. Analysis involved thematic and content analysis to identify patterns. I prioritized ethical considerations, ensuring participant confidentiality and informed consent. This approach provides a solid foundation for exploring the research questions.

• Reluctance to actively engage in meetings
• A moral dilemma between being a "diligent employee" and using the time differently
• People shift to personal work when content feels irrelevant
• A preference for work-related excuses (easier to justify)
• Laptops are the most "acceptable" device for multitasking

• Explore the general meeting culture within the participants' companies or past work experiences.
• Identify aspects of meetings that participants find tedious or boring.
• Investigate strategies participants employ to cope with boring meetings, including the potential use of digital devices as excuses to escape.
• Examine participants' experiences with using digital devices during meetings for legitimate purposes and to excuse themselves from meetings.
• Understand how participants manage the perception that using digital devices during meetings is a way to avoid engagement.
• Explore participants' decision-making processes regarding information sharing during meetings when using digital devices.

Next Step, I conducted an extensive interview process involving a diverse range of participants to ensure the acquisition of robust and valid data. I employed a systematic thematic analysis, guided by predefined criteria covering participants' Reactions, Feelings, Activities During Meetings, Excuses, Meeting Culture, and Meeting Formality. Each category was further broken down into subcategories, facilitating a thorough examination of the qualitative data gathered from the interviews. This analytical framework enabled us to extract meaningful insights and patterns from the participants' responses, contributing to a nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics surrounding the use of digital devices as excuses in workplace meetings.

“Please note that I cannot publish all the findings, since I have not published my paper yet. In case you are interested in the project, contact me.”

• Firstly, a recurrent theme highlighted the reluctance of employees to actively engage in meetings, pointing towards a notable challenge in fostering robust participation.
• Secondly, a prevailing moral dilemma surfaced, where individuals grappled with the tension between adhering to the expectations of being a diligent employee and the desire for alternative uses of their time during meetings. Notably, participants disclosed a tendency to shift focus to personal work when the meeting content appeared irrelevant to their immediate responsibilities.
• Additionally, the preference for work-related excuses was discerned, with participants indicating their inclination towards this category due to its perceived ease of justification.
• Intriguingly, the choice of digital devices for these activities leaned heavily towards laptops, deemed more acceptable in the meeting context, unveiling a nuanced aspect of their preferred tools for multitasking during meetings

By adopting a new meeting culture companies can provide a more productive work environment, some changes like: Provide clear agendas and objectives for meetings. Encourage active participation Determine the necessity of each meeting Keep meetings focused and relevant Set time limits for meetings Provide training and resources Why innocent excuses are useful? Saves time for employees Improve productivity Better engagement Respect for time It is socially acceptable.

In our enlightening interviews, we uncovered significant insights. Many employees show reluctance to fully engage in meetings, posing a challenge to fostering active participation. A moral dilemma emerged as individuals juggled the expectations of being diligent employees with their desire for alternative uses of meeting time. Interestingly, participants admitted to redirecting their focus to personal tasks when they found meeting content irrelevant. Moreover, they preferred using work-related excuses, finding them easier to justify. Notably, laptops were the favored device for multitasking, offering an intriguing glimpse into preferred tools during meetings.