Why cyberloafing can be socially learned in the workplace: the role of employees' perceived certainty of formal and informal sanctions

Jinnan Wu · Pablo Zoghbi‐Manrique‐de‐Lara · Hemin Jiang · Shanshan Guo · Wenpei Zhang

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Cyberloafing and Workplace Behavior Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior Information and Cyber Security

Abstract

Purpose This study investigated why employees' cyberloafing behavior is affected by their coworkers' cyberloafing behavior. By integrating social learning theory and deterrence theory, the authors developed a model to explain the role of employees' perceived certainty of formal and informal sanctions in understanding the effect of coworkers' cyberloafing behavior on employees' cyberloafing behavior. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a survey that involved a two-stage data collection process (including 293 respondents) to test our developed model. Mplus 7.0 was used to analyze the data. Findings The results revealed that employees' cyberloafing was positively affected by their coworkers' cyberloafing both directly and indirectly. The indirect effect of coworkers' cyberloafing on employees' cyberloafing was mediated by the employees' perceived certainty of formal and informal sanctions on cyberloafing. Employees' perceived certainty of formal and informal sanctions were found to mediate the relationship both separately (each type of sanctions mediates the relationship individually) and in combination (the two types of sanctions form a serial mediation effect). Originality/value The study reveals an important mechanism – employees’ perceived certainty of formal and informal sanctions – that underlies the relationship between coworkers' cyberloafing and employees' cyberloafing, thus, contributing to the cyberloafing literature. It also demonstrates the importance of negative reinforcement (perceived sanctions) in the social learning process, which contributes to the literature on social learning theory because previous studies have primarily focused on the role of positive reinforcement. Lastly, the study reveals a positive relationship between employees' perceived certainty of formal sanctions and informal sanctions, which has important implications for deterrence theory.

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References

2003Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies.1986Self-Reports in Organizational Research: Problems and Prospects 1987Social Contagion and Innovation: Cohesion versus Structural Equivalence 2004Social learning strategies 1979Social Learning and Deviant Behavior: A Specific Test of a General Theory 2002The IT way of loafing on the job: cyberloafing, neutralizing and organizational justice 1987TOWARD AN INTERACTIONAL THEORY OF DELINQUENCY*2011Does power distance exacerbate or mitigate the effects of abusive supervision? It depends on the outcome.

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