Do Deterrence Mechanisms Reduce Cyberloafing When It Is an Observed Workplace Norm? A Moderated Mediation Model

Exploring the Complex Relationships Between Factors That Affect Employee Cyberloafing Using a Novel Approach: Findings from Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Cyberloafing is a workplace problem that has emerged over the past two decades and continues to be problematic as workers' schedules become more flexible and deterrents associated with being physically present in an office are unavailable. Understanding the complex conditions under which employees are more likely to engage in cyberloafing activity continues to be valuable for businesses. This study identifies and models seven conditions that influence cyberloafing and investigates how interconnected social and deterrence factors affect employees' cyberloafing behavior. With a cross-sectional random sample of 324 employees from 14 provinces in China, the necessary condition analysis is used to identify the necessary conditions for high cyberloafing, and the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative approach is conducted to explore the configurational impacts of multiple antecedent conditions on high cyberloafing. The results show that no single condition is necessary for a high level of employee cyberloafing and that three distinct configurations of multiple conditions equivalently contribute to high cyberloafing among employees. Among all configurations, high visibility of cyberloafing, a lack of certainty of formal sanctions, and a lack of reward for not cyberloafing play important roles in explaining employees' cyberloafing. This study is the first to use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to explore how different combinations of social and reinforcement antecedents contribute to cyberloafing, which goes beyond existing research that explores antecedents independently and offers new insights into cyberloafing's interconnected antecedents and their complex causality.

Abusive supervision and cyberloafing: an investigation based on Stressor-Emotion-CWB theory

Purpose

Cyberloafing is an organization-directed counterproductive work behavior (CWB). One stream of literature deems cyberloafing to be bad for organizations and their employees, while another suggests cyberloafing is a coping response to stressful work events. Our work contributes to the latter stream of literature. The key objective of our study is to examine whether cyberloafing could be a means to cope with a stressful work event-abusive supervision, and if yes, what mediating and boundary conditions are involved. For this investigation, the authors leveraged the Stressor-Emotion-CWB theory which posits that individuals engage in CWB to cope with the negative affect generated by the stressors and that this relationship is moderated at the first stage by personality traits.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a multi-wave survey design, the authors collected data from 357 employees working in an Indian IT firm. Results revealed support for three out of the four hypotheses.

Findings

Based on the Stressor-Emotion-CWB theory, the authors found that work-related negative affect fully mediated the positive relationship between abusive supervision and cyberloafing, and work locus of control (WLOC) moderated the positive relationship between abusive supervision and work-related negative affect. The authors did not find any evidence of a direct relationship between abusive supervision and cyberloafing. Also, the positive indirect relationship between abusive supervision and cyberloafing through work-related negative affect was moderated at the first stage by the WLOC such that the indirect effect was stronger (weaker) at high (low) levels of WLOC.

Originality/value

This work demonstrates that cyberloafing could be a way for employees to cope with their abusive supervisors.

Push-pull factors and means-end chain framework of cyberloafing: a soft laddering study using LadderUX

Purpose

Previous studies on cyberloafing have so far not focused on the interlinkages among push factors, pull factors, consequences of actions and value orientations of the employees in a comprehensive manner. The purpose of this study is to close that gap by integrating push-pull theory with means-end chain framework.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a soft-laddering technique, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 Indian employees from various organizations with prior written consent. After performing the content analysis and preparation of ladders, an implication matrix and a hierarchical value map were constructed using the LadderUX tool.

Findings

“Upholding conversational conformity,” “achieving efficiency through noise cancellation,” “addressing occasional requirements,” “social networking as a coping mechanism,” “staying informed and sharing opinions,” “attempting job or profile alteration” and “fulfilling transactional obligations” turned out to be the seven prominent means-end chain patterns, with their respective push-pull factors, consequences and value orientations. This study also suggested the multifaceted character of cyberloafing in a continuum, from “serious-destructive” to “minor-positive” to “facilitative-productive.”

Research limitations/implications

This study has been conducted by focusing on cyberloafing at physical workplaces and not in the context of distributed work environments.

Practical implications

The findings of this study will enable organizations to frame an appropriate set of guidelines to control this behavior.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to integrate the push-pull theory and means-end chain framework to explore the nuances of cyberloafing among employees.

Employee deviance: the impacts of techno-insecurity and moral disengagement

Purpose

Employees may see technostress, that is, the stress experienced by individuals as a result of the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), as a threat to their jobs. In other words, employees may have a strong sense of job insecurity because of the ICT. This study aims to examine why and when employees might respond to technology-induced job insecurity (techno-insecurity) by engaging in workplace deviance – an activity that is costly for organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors apply partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses, using a sample of 354 valid responses.

Findings

The authors found that job-related technostress creators and technology-related technostress creators are positively associated with techno-insecurity. Techno-insecurity affects deviant behavior by increasing employees' moral disengagement. The authors also found that informal sanctions moderated the relationship between techno-insecurity and moral disengagement, while formal sanctions moderated the relationship between moral disengagement and deviance.

Originality/value

This study contributes to a better understanding of employee techno-insecurity and deviance by expanding the technostress literature and applying moral disengagement theory.