A Review on Cyberloafing

As technology permeates every aspect of our lives, employees are increasingly using technology for personal purposes during office hours. The largest proportion of non-work-related activities at work is spent using technologies on activities such as responding to emails on a personal email account, checking friends’ Facebook updates, reading sports or news, and paying bills online. While practitioners have been wrestling with cyberloafing prevalent in the workplace, research on the matter has grown exponentially over the last decade. Despite the growing empirical evidence, lacking is an integrated understanding of the phenomenon. In order for this area of inquiry to develop into a strong program and thus provide more useful advice to practitioners, a framework is needed to integrate the literature and provide a clear agenda for future research. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of literature on cyberloafing that can guide future research

Work and Nonwork Support for Employee Development

We develop a model that enhances our understanding of how different supports for development motivate employees to pursue self-development. After collecting data from 418 employees with different backgrounds and using structural equation modeling and bootstrap analysis, we found that work support and nonwork support for development made unique contributions to employee self-development. The relationship between non-work support for development and employee self- development is mediated by self-efficacy and career motivation. The relationship between work support for development and employee self-development is mediated by career motivation. This research expands the support for development from work environment to a broader social environment and clarifies how both work and nonwork supportive environment is positively related to employee self- development. Finally, we discussed practical implications for personnel selection and career development in organizations

A Qualitative Study of “online” Work Breaks

Despite the growing empirical evidence on the beneficial effects of “micro” work breaks, scant research has examined “online” work breaks. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the nature and effects of online work breaks. Through an in-depth qualitative study of a diverse set of 33 full-time working professionals, we identified conditions under which online breaks occur as well as the characteristics and outcomes of these breaks. Interestingly, our findings point to both negative and positive outcomes associated with online breaks, largely dependent on an individual’s ability to self-regulate. Our grounded theory approach allows us to develop a richer description of online work breaks and a theoretical model to help guide future research

Managing millennials’ personal use of technology at work

Growing up with the internet and unparalleled access to technology, millennials (individuals born during 1981–1995, also known as Gen Y and Gen Me) extensively use various technologies for non-work-related reasons while at work. Both popular media and scholarly research have portrayed this issue negatively and have supported monitoring and restricting personal use of technology. However, if organizations are to attract and retain millennials—now the largest generation in the U.S. workforce—it is crucial to understand their characteristics and what drives them. Drawing on research on generational differences, organizational control, and cyberloafing, this article explains how unique characteristics of millennials lead them to engage in personal use of technology at work and how organizations might address this issue. Specifically, I contrast two one-sided approaches (deterrence and laissez-faire) that can lead to dysfunctional outcomes when used in excess and recommend more viable solutions. These solutions include establishing a workplace technology use policy based on shared understanding, fostering both relaxation and urgency mentalities, and training both millennials and their managers

When work comes home: technology-related pressure and home support

Given the prevalence of workers bringing work home, issues arising from this practice are a central concern of human resource development (HRD) researchers and practitioners. This study investigates factors related to home boundary permeability (the extent to which one’s home domain is interrupted by work-related matters). Specifically, we examine the impact of technology-related pressure on home boundary permeability, and test both positive and negative consequences of home boundary permeability, along with the role of home support. Based on quantitative data from 267 full-time employees in the Midwestern United States, we found technology-related pressure predicted home boundary permeability, even after accounting for a person’s preference for work–home segmentation. Our findings suggest that high home boundary permeability may be a double-edged sword as it was significantly associated with both greater work-to-home conflict and positive spillover. Further, home support was found to play a buffering role in the relationship between home boundary permeability and work-to-home conflict. Suggestions for how HRD and management practitioners can help employees achieve a healthy balance between work and home are offered

The Dark and Bright Sides of Personal Use of Technology at Work: A Job Demands–Resources Model

As employees increasingly use technology for personal purposes in the workplace, tensions between proponents of control versus flexibility are rising. Proponents of control emphasize negative consequences and argue for employee restrictions and monitoring, whereas those for flexibility highlight positive consequences and advocate for employee discretion. We build consensus between these two approaches by adopting the job demands–resources model to show why the personal use of technology at work has both negative and positive effects on organizational outcomes, and then, we theorize about several boundary conditions that mitigate or strengthen these effects. We discuss implications for human resource development (HRD) scholars and professionals

Work interrupted: a closer look at work boundary permeability

Purpose: Given the prevalence of work interrupted by home-related matters, this paper aims to increase knowledge of the antecedents of work boundary permeability by investigating both individual and situational factors; and to better understand the consequences of work boundary permeability by examining both negative and positive effects using a finer-grained measure. Design/methodology/approach: Data were obtained using two surveys from 308 full-time employees from an information technology firm in the Midwestern USA. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses. Findings: Individual differences in segmentation preferences (whether one prefers to keep work and home separated or integrated) and situational factors such as workload and home demands were found to predict work boundary permeability. Further, the results showed that maintaining a highly permeable work boundary may be detrimental rather than beneficial. High work boundary permeability led to greater time- and strain-based home-to-work conflict, but not to affective and instrumental positive spillover. Originality/value: Unlike much previous work–home research focusing on how work intrudes on time outside of work, this study focuses exclusively on how the work domain is affected by intrusions from the home domain. The findings deepen the knowledge about today’s workplace that is subject to continual interruptions and spillover from home-related matters

A Qualitative Study of “online” Work Breaks

Despite the growing empirical evidence on the beneficial effects of “micro” work breaks, scant research has examined “online” work breaks. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the nature and effects of online work breaks. Through an in-depth qualitative study of a diverse set of 33 full-time working professionals, we identified conditions under which online breaks occur as well as the characteristics and outcomes of these breaks. Interestingly, our findings point to both negative and positive outcomes associated with online breaks, largely dependent on an individual’s ability to self-regulate. Our grounded theory approach allows us to develop a richer description of online work breaks and a theoretical model to help guide future research

Managing millennials’ personal use of technology at work

Growing up with the internet and unparalleled access to technology, millennials (individuals born during 1981–1995, also known as Gen Y and Gen Me) extensively use various technologies for non-work-related reasons while at work. Both popular media and scholarly research have portrayed this issue negatively and have supported monitoring and restricting personal use of technology. However, if organizations are to attract and retain millennials—now the largest generation in the U.S. workforce—it is crucial to understand their characteristics and what drives them. Drawing on research on generational differences, organizational control, and cyberloafing, this article explains how unique characteristics of millennials lead them to engage in personal use of technology at work and how organizations might address this issue. Specifically, I contrast two one-sided approaches (deterrence and laissez-faire) that can lead to dysfunctional outcomes when used in excess and recommend more viable solutions. These solutions include establishing a workplace technology use policy based on shared understanding, fostering both relaxation and urgency mentalities, and training both millennials and their managers