“I’m Here to Work and Not to Call”: Blue-Collar Workers Navigating Interruptions by Mobile Devices

In blue-collar work, such as construction and landscaping, mobile devices allow for communication across dispersed workplaces while posing risks to worker outcomes, including physical safety. When mobile devices interrupt workers, they are tasked with making rapid decisions about how to respond. This study examines how blue-collar workers experience and navigate interruptions by mobile communication technologies. Based on 46 semi-structured interviews nested in a phone survey of employees of a blue-collar company in the Netherlands, results reveal that when interrupted by their mobile devices, workers engage in a complex negotiation process in which they weigh a myriad of contextual factors and consider different response options. Participants describe three general strategies to approach these negotiations: devising rules to guide their choices, taking preventative measures to limit the choices they need to make, and structurally deprioritizing mobile communication altogether. Ultimately, the study highlights that managing interruptions in high-risk environments constitutes a complex skill, one that demands more scholarly and managerial attention.