But often the technology is to blame at the root. Smartphones, for example, are a management problem because you need to ask employees to put them away and get to work. But they’re now needed for things like punching in, receiving important messages, updating information, filling out checklists, etc. So you can’t just ban them anymore.
It’s not that the employees want to be stuck on their phones, they’re just that good at captivating attention.
Similarly, some sort of online conversation is useful to employees and employers, but the technology can reward unproductive behavior and make productive behavior hard.
I don't know how to respond to what you're saying because I disagree with your premise. Smartphones aren't a problem in this instance, social or personal issues, and there are several of them.
1. There's the internal discipline that the employee apparently doesn't have when they keep going to their phone.
2. There's the assumption from management that a person needs to be 100% focused on work and that lapses in focus are a loss of productivity (when in fact, stepping away and walking can be a perfect way to get an idea and move forward).
3. "punching in" and "filling out checklists" especially are management problems if they're required to use the phone for that, since by the premise of the argument phones are bad and should never be used and then they require them.
4. There's the blaming of the tool rather than the user.
5. With the vast multitude of notification management settings that Slack, in particular, provides, including just closing the app, or muting every single thing except @person's, a disciplined person can absolutely limit their Slack usage as necessary; or, speak with a manager about going dark to 'get some work done'.
It’s not that the employees want to be stuck on their phones, they’re just that good at captivating attention.
Similarly, some sort of online conversation is useful to employees and employers, but the technology can reward unproductive behavior and make productive behavior hard.