The Damage Phubbing Does to Office Culture
- bsciortino
- Jul 4
- 5 min read
It starts with a glance.
Someone checks their phone mid-meeting. No big deal, right? Just a quick look. But then someone else follows. Before long, half the room is half-present. The unspoken message? “Whatever’s on my screen matters more than what you’re saying.”
This is phubbing — the habit of snubbing people in favour of your phone — and it’s quietly damaging office culture.
Presence isn’t just polite — it’s culture-defining.
Most of us don’t mean to do it. We’re used to being hyper-connected. We think we’re multitasking, but in reality, phubbing breaks trust, weakens collaboration, and chips away at the very foundation of what makes a team strong: shared respect.
It’s time we talk about the real cost of this habit — not just on individual relationships, but on the cultural fabric of our workplaces. Because if we want connected, creative, resilient teams, we can’t keep letting attention slip away to the nearest notification.
Trust Isn’t Built on Half-Presence
It doesn’t matter if it’s a “quick check.” The moment attention slips, the other person registers it. Not consciously, maybe, but something in them starts to pull back. Why share openly if you’re not being fully received?
In a team environment, that’s where the damage begins. Because once people feel unheard or unseen, they start to shut down. They speak less in meetings. They stop offering ideas. They begin to question whether they matter.
Phubbing sends a message louder than words: “This conversation isn’t important.” That message, repeated over time, rewires relationships. It tells people not to trust the moment — or the leader holding the phone.
And it doesn’t just affect the person being ignored. Others in the room feel it too. It’s contagious. One person disengages and the whole team’s focus starts to splinter.
The irony? Most people phub unintentionally. They’re not being rude — they’re being reactive. We’ve trained ourselves to respond instantly to every buzz, ping, and screen light. But trust needs the opposite of reactivity. It needs presence, full attention, and a willingness to stay in the moment.
If we want our teams to feel safe, valued, and ready to contribute, then we have to start by putting the phone down.
Not later. Not when the meeting is over. Now. In the moment that matters.
Five Practical, Low-Friction Ways Leaders Can Start Stamping Out Phubbing
1. Call It In (Not Out)
Start by naming the behaviour — without blame. Share what phubbing is, why it matters, and how it affects culture. Use humour or self-awareness if needed: “ I caught myself mid-scroll during our last meeting and realised I was sending the exact message I didn’t mean to.”
When leaders admit their own patterns, it creates space for others to reflect and reset.
2. Make Presence the Norm
Set the tone by leading with full presence. When you speak with someone, put your phone away — not face-down on the table, but completely out of sight. Your actions give quiet permission for others to do the same. What you model becomes the culture.
3. Create “No-Phone Zones”
Designate specific times or spaces — like team meetings or one-on-ones — as device-free. Frame it as a respect reset, not a rule: “Let’s make this a tech-free 30 minutes so we’re all in the same room, not ten different ones.”
4. Shift the Default in Meetings
Start meetings by inviting everyone to silence devices or put them in a shared container (even a bowl on the table). It’s a small ritual that sends a powerful signal: “We’re here. Let’s be here together.”
5. Celebrate Attention
Notice and praise moments of real focus. When someone stays fully engaged, thank them. Reflect it back in team shout-outs or performance reviews: “The way you listened and responded in that conversation created so much clarity.”
Positive reinforcement rewires faster than rules ever do.
Culture Is What You Model — Not What You Say
Office culture isn’t built from posters in the hallway or statements in a company handbook. It’s built moment by moment, in the way people show up — and more importantly, in the way leaders show up.
If a leader preaches focus but checks emails in meetings, the team learns that presence is optional. If a leader encourages open communication but scrolls during feedback, the team learns that sharing is risky. The spoken values don’t land — because the lived values say something else.
People notice what you do more than what you say. Especially when it comes to attention.
The reason phubbing is so dangerous to culture is because it’s not just a distraction — it’s a cue. It tells others where the priority lies. And in leadership, your focus is your influence. Every time you choose presence, you send a message that people matter. That time matters. That what’s being said right now is worth listening to.
But the opposite is also true. If leaders make a habit of being half-present, the whole team eventually follows. It becomes normal to multitask in meetings, to zone out during updates, to nod along without really hearing. Connection gets diluted. Culture starts to hollow out.
Presence is a leadership superpower — and it’s one of the fastest ways to build loyalty, clarity, and momentum. When leaders are all in, others lean in.
If you want a culture that feels clear, calm, and collaborative, model it. Not once. Not when it’s convenient. But consistently.
That’s how you shift the standard. That’s how you rebuild a culture from the inside out.
Reinforcing Culture, One Moment at a Time
Every workplace wants better culture. But too often, we look for big fixes — like strategy days, team-building, and rebrands — but we ignore the small, everyday habits that quietly erode trust and connection.
Phubbing isn’t just a bad habit — it’s a culture signal. It tells your team what matters. And if the message they’re getting is that attention is optional, relationships are secondary, and presence is rare — then they’ll start to match that energy. Not because they don’t care, but because the bar has been lowered.
The good news? Culture can be rebuilt just as quietly as it was undone.
It starts with one decision: to be fully where you are. In meetings. In conversations. In moments that matter.
Leaders don’t have to have all the answers. But they do set the tone. And when leaders commit to showing up with full attention, they create a ripple effect that rewires the room.
That kind of presence sends a deeper message: “You matter. This matters. I’m all in.”
It’s not about banning phones or creating guilt. It’s about choosing respect over reactivity. Choosing connection over convenience. Choosing to lead in a way others want to follow.
So … if you're serious about shaping a culture that people love being part of — start here. Not with a grand plan. Not with a leadership retreat. But with your next moment of attention.
Choose to be fully here. Choose to lead with your eyes up and your phone down.
Because every time you’re present, you give others permission to show up, too.
And that’s how culture changes — one small, powerful choice at a time.
Written by Bronwen Sciortino, CEO & Founder of sheIQ Life and is proudly based in Perth, Western Australia
