Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role that Meaningful Work plays in deterring Cyberloafing behaviors. Thus, this paper tested whether the relationship between the two variables is a negative one. The research also tested the mediating role of Boredom at Work on the relationship between Meaningful Work and Cyberloafing. The scientific literature supports the association between the absence of meaning at work and boredom at work. At the same time, studies show that employees facing Boredom at Work turn behaviorally to compensatory activities, which provide them with the stimulation they need. In this sense, Cyberloafing can be seen as a coping mechanism in relation to Boredom at Work. Data was collected on a sample of 218 participants via an online questionnaire. Hypotheses testing was done using the PROCESS add-on. Although the results revealed that there is no statistically significant direct relationship between Meaningful Work and Cyberloafing, an indirect, statistically significant, mediating relationship was identified, respectively Boredom at Work mediates the relationship between Meaningful Work and Cyberloafing.
References
- Allan, B. A., Batz-Barbarich, C., Sterling, H. M., & Tay, L. (2018). Outcomes of Meaningful Work: A Meta-Analysis.
- Journal of Management Studies, 56(3), 500–528. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12406
- Bailey, C., Lips-Wiersma, M., Madden, A., Yeoman, R., Thompson, M., & Chalofsky, N. (2018a). The five paradoxes
- of meaningful work: Introduction to the special issue ‘Meaningful work: Prospects for the 21st century’. Journal of
- Management Studies, 56(3), 481–499. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12422
- Bailey, C., Yeoman, R., Madden, A., Thompson, M., & Kerridge, G. (2018b). A Review of the Empirical Literature on Meaningful Work: Progress and Research Agenda. Human Resource Development Review, 18(1), 83–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484318804653
- Bruursema, K., Kessler, S. R., & Spector, P. E. (2011). Bored employees misbehaving: The relationship between boredom and counterproductive work behaviour. Work & Stress, 25(2), 93–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2011.596670
- Fisher, C. D. (1993). Boredom at Work: A Neglected Concept. Human Relations, 46(3), 395–417. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872679304600305
- Jia, H., Jia, R., & Karau, S. (2013). Cyberloafing and Personality: The impact of the Big Five traits and workplace situational factors. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 20(3), 358–365. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051813488208
- Lepisto, D. A., & Pratt, M. G. (2016). Meaningful work as realization and justification. Organizational Psychology Review, 7(2), 99–121. https://doi.org/10.1177/2041386616630039
- Loukidou, L., Loan-Clarke, J., & Daniels, K. (2009). Boredom in the workplace: More than monotonous tasks. International Journal of Management Reviews, 11(4), 381–405. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2009.00267.x
- Lysova, E. I., Allan, B. A., Dik, B. J., Duffy, R. D., & Steger, M. F. (2018). Fostering meaningful work in organizations: A multi-level review and integration. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 110(Part B), 374–389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2018.07.004
- Pindek, S., Krajcevska, A., & Spector, P. E. (2018). Cyberloafing as a coping mechanism: Dealing with workplace boredom. Computers in Human Behavior, 86, 147–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.04.040
- Sheikh, A., Atashgah, M. S., & Adibzadegan, M. (2015). The antecedents of cyberloafing: A case study in an Iranian copper industry. Computers in Human Behavior, 51, 172–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.04.042
- Spector, P. E., & Fox, S. (2002). An emotion-centered model of voluntary work behavior: Some parallels between counterproductive work behavior and organizational citizenship behavior. Human Resource Management Review, 12(2), 269–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1053-
- (02)00049-9
- Spector, P. E., Fox, S., Penney, L. M., Bruursema, K., Goh, A., & Kessler, S. (2006). The dimensionality of counterproductivity: Are all counterproductive behaviors created equal? Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68(3), 446–460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2005.10.005
- Spector, P. E., & Fox, S. (2010). Counterproductive work behavior and organisational citizenship behavior: Are they opposite forms of active behavior? Applied Psychology: An International Review, 59(1), 21–39. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2009.00414.x
- Steger, M. F., Dik, B. J., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Measuring meaningful work: The Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI). Journal of Career Assessment, 20(3), 322–337. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072711436160
- Ugrin, J. C., & Michael Pearson, J. (2013). The effects of sanctions and stigmas on cyberloafing. Computers in Human
- Behavior, 29(3), 812–820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.11.005
- Usman, M., Javed, U., Shoukat, A., & Bashir, N. A. (2019). Does meaningful work reduce cyberloafing? Important roles of affective commitment and leader-member exchange. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2019.1683607
- van Hooff, M. L. M., & van Hooft, E. A. J. (2014). Boredom at work: Proximal and distal consequences of affective workrelated
- boredom. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 19(3), 348–359. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036821
- van Hooff, M. L. M., & van Hooft, E. A. J. (2016). Work-related boredom and depressed mood from a daily perspective: the
- moderating roles of work centrality and need satisfaction. Work & Stress, 30(3), 209–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2016.1206151
- van Tilburg, W. A. P., & Igou, E. R. (2012). On boredom: Lack of challenge and meaning as distinct boredom experiences. Motivation and Emotion, 36(2), 181–194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-011-9234-9
- Zoghbi Manrique de Lara, P. (2006). Fear in organizations. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(6), 580–592. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940610684418