Sex gaps and age differences in the structure of academic cyberloafing from early to middle adolescence: A network analysis.

BACKGROUND: Academic cyberloafing refers to students' engagement in non-learning-related online activities during online courses, which can negatively affect their academic performance. Prior studies investigated cyberloafing primarily in the workplace, neglecting core behaviors and interactions among academic cyberloafing in educational contexts. AIMS: This study employed network analysis to capture academic cyberloafing as an interactive behavior network to explore the core behavioral patterns of academic cyberloafing and the interactions between these behaviors. MATERIALS & METHODS: A total of 3537 adolescents (Mage = 12.49; 53.7% boys and 46.3% girls) in China were included in this study. RESULTS: The findings indicated that "seeking gossip news" and "watching short videos" are central behaviors. Among boys, "browsing nonacademic web pages" and "watching short videos" are central behaviors; "seeking gossip news" is the most central behavior among girls. Furthermore, in early adolescence, central behaviors encompass "chatting privately" and "seeking gossip news"; in middle adolescence, central behaviors include "seeking gossip news" and "watching short videos." Additionally, the comparisons indicated that academic cyberloafing networks (between boys and girls; between early and middle adolescence) show a similar structure and global strength but differ in specific academic cyberloafing associations. CONCLUSION: As adolescents of different sexes and ages engage in academic cyberloafing differently, tailored education interventions can be implemented to address unregulated cyberloafing.

Exploring the relationship between cyberloafing and innovativeness among nurses in research hospitals: a cross-sectional study in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Although cyberloafing, which refers to employees' use of the internet for private purposes outside of work, is seen as a negative behavior; Positive effects on areas such as individual development, learning opportunity, job satisfaction, productivity, change, organizational output, and innovation have also been reported. This study aims to investigate whether there is a significant relationship between cyberloafing and the innovativeness levels of nurses working in research hospitals in Turkey. METHODS: This analytical study consisted of 230 nurses. Data were collected using a nurse information form, Cyberloafing Scale, and Individual Innovativeness Scale. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive, comparative, and correlational statistics. RESULTS: Nurses had low levels of minor and severe cyberloafing scores and skeptical innovativeness. There was no correlation between cyberloafing and individual innovativeness. CONCLUSIONS: More conscious cyberloafing should be encouraged through institutional arrangements, which can improve nurses' individual and innovative professional aspects.

The spillover effect of after-hours electronic communication on nurses' cyberloafing: the mediating role of psychological contract breach.

BACKGROUND: Considerable research has investigated the influencing factors of cyberloafing in the workplace. However, few studies have focused on the antecedents in non-work fields, especially for nurses. According to the effort-reward imbalance theory, this study aims to explore the spillover effect of after-hours electronic communication on nurses' cyberloafing, and the mediating role of psychological contract breach. METHODS: A total of 282 nurses completed the online survey. PROCESS macro for SPSS was used to test how after-hour electronic communication affect nurses' cyberloafing. RESULTS: After-hours electronic communication has a significant positive impact on nurses' cyberloafing, and psychological contract breach plays a mediating role in the relationship. CONCLUSION: Psychological contract breach was the linchpin linking after-hours electronic communication to nurses' cyberloafing in workplace. This study provides a guide for healthcare organizations to reduce or manage inappropriate telework arrangements and strengthen nurses' psychological contracts.

Cyberloafing behaviors among university students: Their relationships with positive and negative affect.

With the technological advances, the use of digital devices, such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones in the educational setting has become prevalent among young people. Accordingly, there has been an increased concern among scholars on students' in-class Internet use for personal purposes; namely, 'cyberloafing'. Considerable research has demonstrated the adverse effects of in-class Internet use on students' learning environment and academic performance. The present study particularly investigates the relationship between cyberloafing behaviors and positive and negative affect among university students. It examines five different online activities including sharing, shopping, real-time updating, accessing online content, and gaming/gambling separately to gain greater insight into students' cyberloafing behaviors. The sample consisted of 267 undergraduate students who filled out questionnaires measuring cyberloafing behaviors, positive and negative affect, and demographical information including the use of the Internet and mobile technologies. The initial analyses showed that male students had higher scores in shopping, accessing online content, and gaming/gambling than females. The latent variable analysis revealed that among different activities of cyberloafing, accessing online content and gaming/gambling were positively correlated with positive affect, while sharing was positively associated with negative affect among students. The findings emphasize the importance of evaluating cyberloafing as a part of students' psychological well-being rather than a variable merely related to academic achievement. The findings of the study also enlighten researchers and educators in developing appropriate policies and interventions to manage misuse of the Internet in class.

Cyberloafing behaviours in nursing: The role of nursing stressors.

AIM: To assess the prevalence of minor and serious cyberloafing behaviours among nurses and examine the impact of the nursing stressors on nurses' cyberloafing behaviours. BACKGROUND: Cyberloafing could have a negative influence on employees' job performance, but it also has been argued that it could serve as a coping mechanism to deal with stressful work environments. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive, correlational design. METHODS: Data were collected between September and December 2020 from a convenience sample of staff nurses (N = 291) providing care at a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia. Sample characteristics, nursing stressors and cyberloafing behaviours information were collected using self-reported questionnaires. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. FINDINGS: Nurses in Saudi Arabia exhibited low levels of minor and serious cyberloafing behaviours. However, they engaged more frequently in minor cyberloafing behaviours more than serious cyberloafing behaviours. Stressors and Internet usage frequency influenced the frequency of minor and serious cyberloafing behaviours. Level of education and nationality impacted serious cyberloafing behaviours only. CONCLUSION: Nursing stressors were associated with cyberloafing behaviours. Other studies on cyberloafing and job stress yielded inconsistent results. Efforts should be taken to avoid the adverse effects of cyberloafing by establishing a clear policy on using the advanced technology for non-work purposes.

The hidden performance costs of professional isolation? A latent change score model of professional isolation during the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic.

Although past research has found that professional isolation can affect discernible work-related outcomes (e.g. job performance and turnover) and important job attitudes, researchers have not examined its impact on those less discernible but still costly work behaviours. Drawing on self-regulation theories, this study examined the effect of professional isolation on employees' cyberloafing and time theft through self-control capacity impairment. With longitudinal data collected from 343 U.S. employees across five consecutive weeks at the early stage of the pandemic (i.e. from mid-March to late April 2020), our results of latent change score modelling analyses found that professional isolation change was positively related with changes in cyberloafing and time theft via change in self-control capacity impairment. The results increase our understanding of the hidden performance cost of professional isolation. This research also shifts the research focus from a static, between-person perspective to dynamic, within-person changes in professional isolation and related outcomes. The findings shed light on the self-regulation perspective in understanding the harmful consequences of professional isolation. Implications for future research are discussed along with practical implications for organisations.

Examining the relationship between fear of COVID-19, intolerance for uncertainty, and cyberloafing: A mediational model.

After the COVID-19 pandemic began, organizations had to pivot and move to online remote work. As companies moved to digital platforms and technologies for remote working, a key concern was the increase in workplace withdrawal behaviors during the pandemic, including cyberloafing, a form of workplace deviance. Cyberloafing can be described as the action of using the internet for non-work-related activities or personal use during working hours. Given its effect on organizational effectiveness and efficiency, organizations must take measures to minimize cyberloafing. We examined how two factors-fear of COVID-19 and intolerance for uncertainty-were related to cyberloafing during the third lockdown in Israel. A sample of 322 adults who were enrolled in professional courses at a university in Israel were surveyed. Based on Conservation of Resources Theory, our findings suggest that distress significantly mediated the relationship between fear of COVID-19, intolerance for uncertainty, and cyberloafing. In an attempt to deal with the stress and depletion of personal resources during the COVID-19 lockdown, individuals engaged in cyberloafing as a way to handle the stress. Our results suggest that organizations should take measures to reduce fear and uncertainty in order to decrease distress, which, in turn, will reduce cyberloafing.

The dark side of technology: cyberloafing, a Turkish study of nursing behaviour.

AIM: This study aimed to explore the frequency of both serious and minor cyberloafing behaviours of nurses and the factors which affect these behaviours. BACKGROUND: Cyberloafing is using the internet or an internet connected device at work for personal use. Cyberloafing is a behaviour that negatively affects the personal performance of healthcare staff. METHODS: A total of 375 nurses in three large hospitals in Eastern Turkey participated in this descriptive research. A personal information form and the Cyberloafing Scale were used to collect the data. RESULTS: The data analyses showed moderate levels of minor cyberloafing scores and low levels of serious cyberloafing scores. The more serious level of cyberloafing behaviour was found among nurses who had social networking accounts and spent more than four hours on the internet each day. Minor cyberloafing behaviours occurred more frequently than the serious level. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of cyberloafing behaviours is influenced by time spent on the internet, having social networking accounts, age, marital status, education and professional experience. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: The findings support the development of policies that are designed to have nurses focus on patient care during work hours; use their working hours more effectively; and prevent cyberloafing.

Start Task Crafting, Stay Away from Cyberloafing: The Moderating Role of Supervisor Developmental Feedback.

Cyberloafing as a production deviance behavior raises organizational concerns. Unfortunately, it is unknown how to minimize cyberloafing from a bottom-up perspective, particularly different types of cyberloafing. This study draws on the job crafting and dual-process theory to construct a framework for understanding the relationship between task crafting and passive-active cyberloafing, as well as their boundary condition (i.e., supervisor developmental feedback). We adopted a convenient sampling method, following a two-stage sampling with a time interval of 2 weeks. A sample of 614 full-time employed adults were recruited from the online survey. The results showed that: (1) Task crafting was negatively related to passive and active cyberloafing, respectively. (2) The impact of task crafting on passive cyberloafing rather than active cyberloafing was moderated by supervisor developmental feedback, such that task crafting had significant negative relations with passive cyberloafing when supervisor developmental feedback was higher (vs. lower). Overall, our research findings indicate that passive cyberloafing seems more sensitive to the organizational environment than active cyberloafing, thus different types of cyberloafing have different intervention strategies.

Challenge-obstacle stressors and cyberloafing among higher vocational education students: the moderating role of smartphone addiction and Maladaptive.

The start of higher vocational education and training is a new stage for students with a challenge between theoretical classes and the new expectations and demands of companies during the internship period. To understand some of the implications of stress on cyberloafing, we can distinguish between stress perceived as an obstacle that can be overcome - challenge stress - or as a threat that can block work performance - obstacle stress - and stress perceived as an obstacle that can be overcome - challenge stress - or as a threat that can block work performance - obstacle stress-. The aim of this research is to find out the relationships between challenge-obstacle stress in Cyberloafing, as well as the moderating effect of Smartphone Addiction and Maladaptive. In this study, the Challenge-Hindrance Stressors, Smartphone addiction scale-short version (SAS-SV) instrument, the Maladaptive subscale of the Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) and Cyberloafing were applied to 403 upper-level vocational training students from different secondary schools in all provinces of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain, distributed throughout the provinces that make up this autonomous community. The findings show that students' challenge stressors do not increase Cyberloafing, enabling them to cope with the academic demands and work challenges during the theory and internship period. On the contrary, obstacle stressors generate stressful situations that undermine the acquisition of objectives and development of academic competences. In our research we observe that challenge-obstacle stressors have a disparate influence on cyberloafing. Challenge stressors are negatively related to Maladaptive. The same is not true for obstacle stressors.

Being a focused employee: Effects of job reattachment on cyberloafing.

Cyberloafing, the use of the Internet for non-work-related activities while at work, has become a growing problem in the workplace. Since cyberloafing is commonly regarded as counterproductive, anticipating and controlling employees' cyberloafing behaviour is becoming increasingly important. Previous research suggests that individuals who engage in cyberloafing may have difficulties regulating their attention to important tasks. Based on self-regulation theory, our study examines the influence of job reattachment on cyberloafing through the mediating role of mindfulness and the moderating role of goal commitment. Data for this study were collected in China through surveys conducted with 275 employees at three different time points. The results showed that: (1) job reattachment was significantly negatively associated with cyberloafing; (2) mindfulness mediated this relationship between job reattachment and cyberloafing; and (3) goal commitment moderated the direct effect of job reattachment on mindfulness as well as the indirect effect of job reattachment on cyberloafing through mindfulness. Overall, our research findings emphasize the importance of the impact of job reattachment on cyberloafing through mindfulness. Theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.

The Effects of Illegitimate Tasks on Task Crafting and Cyberloafing: The Role of Stress Mindset and Stress Appraisal.

Previous studies have mainly focused on the detrimental effects of illegitimate tasks as ubiquitous workplace stressors while ignoring the appraisal measures for such tasks. The term "illegitimate" is used by employees to describe the alignment of a task with their job role rather than the inherent qualities of the task itself. Thus, drawing on the transactional theory of stress, this study examines the moderating effect of the stress mindset on the relationship between illegitimate tasks and the appraisal of such tasks. On this basis, this study further explores when cognitive appraisal mediates the effects of illegitimate tasks on coping behaviors (task crafting and cyberloafing). Data were collected from 285 employees from an energy company in Shandong, China, by using a time-lagged research design. The findings indicate that employees react differently to illegitimate tasks depending on their stress mindset. Specifically, for employees with a stress-is-enhancing mindset, illegitimate tasks induce their challenge appraisal, which leads to task crafting. In addition, illegitimate tasks induce hindrance appraisal in employees with a stress-is-debilitating mindset, which leads to cyberloafing. In practice, this research study suggests that when illegitimate tasks cannot be eliminated, organizations should consider employees' stress mindset when assigning such tasks.

From Stress to Screen: Understanding Cyberloafing through Cognitive and Affective Pathways.

This investigation delves into the pervasive yet insufficiently examined phenomenon of "cyberloafing", characterized by employees engaging in non-work-related internet activities during office hours. Despite its frequent occurrence in contemporary work environments, the fundamental mechanisms underpinning cyberloafing remain largely uncharted. This study uses the conservation of resources theory and the cognitive-affective personality system framework to demystify the relationship between role stress and cyberloafing. We developed a dual-path model to assess the mediating roles of perceived insider status and emotional exhaustion. Employing SPSS and Smart PLS for data analysis, our research sampled 210 corporate employees. The findings reveal that role stress predicts perceived insider status and emotional exhaustion significantly. Notably, while perceived insider status negatively correlates with cyberloafing, emotional exhaustion shows a positive correlation. These factors mediate the relationship between role stress and cyberloafing, underscoring a multifaceted dynamic. Our results provide new theoretical insights into the mechanisms of employee counterproductive behavior, specifically in the context of cyberloafing, and broaden our understanding of its determinants. This study illuminates theoretical nuances and offers practical implications for managerial strategies and future scholarly inquiries into organizational behavior.

Cyberloafing: Exploring the Role of Psychological Wellbeing and Social Media Learning.

Due to the advances in internet communications technology (ICT), the use of digital devices, such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones, in the educational setting has become very common among young people. A considerable body of research has shown that there are adverse effects of in-class internet usage, termed "cyberloafing" on students' academic performance, making it a rising concern for scholars. Within this context, the present study examines cyberloafing as a multidimensional construct and studies the mediating effects of psychological wellbeing and social media learning between cyberloafing behaviour and cyberloafing activities of students. Using an online survey, data was collected from 240 undergraduate and graduate students at a private university in India. The data were analyzed using structural equation modelling and mediation analysis. The results indicate that cyberloafing behaviour negatively influences student's psychological wellbeing, whereas psychological wellbeing is positively related to cyberloafing activities. It was also found that, on one hand, cyberloafing behaviour negatively influences social media learning, whereas social media learning did not have any effect on cyberloafing activities in students. This study highlights that it is crucial for educators and course instructors to incorporate appropriate practices and interventions to manage the misuse of the internet through cyberloafing in classrooms.

The Relationship between Competitive Class Climate and Cyberloafing among Chinese Adolescents: A Curvilinear Moderated Mediation Model.

Since COVID-19 was officially listed as a pandemic, online schooling has become a more pervasive form of learning, and cyberloafing has become a widespread behavior, even among adolescents. However, less research has explored the influencing mechanism of adolescents' cyberloafing. Based on relevant studies and the real lives of adolescents, this study aimed to examine the association between a competitive class climate and cyberloafing among adolescents, its underlying mechanism, the mediating role of perceived stress and the moderating role of self-esteem. A total of 686 adolescents were recruited to complete a set of questionnaires assessing cyberloafing, perceived stress, self-esteem, and perceived competitive class climate. The results showed that a competitive class climate was positively associated with perceived stress, and the U-shaped relationship between perceived stress and cyberloafing was significant. Perceived stress mediated the relationship between a competitive class climate and cyberloafing. Meanwhile, self-esteem moderated the U-shaped relationship between perceived stress and cyberloafing and the linear relationship between a competitive class climate and perceived stress. The results of this study indicate that the influence of a competitive class climate on individual learning behavior may be nonlinear, and proper competition can contribute to reducing individual cyberloafing.

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.

Digital Leisure Engagement and Positive Outcomes in the Workplace: A Systematic Literature Review.

The rise of the Internet and information and communication technologies (ICTs) has led to employees spending increasingly more time on non-work-related digital activities at work. A vast literature base exists that is devoted to the potential adverse effect of such activities in the form of cyberloafing. However, not much is known about the positive outcomes of such activities conceptualized as digital leisure. The present review systematically examines current literature on digital leisure activities and how these contribute to positive outcomes in the workplace. Additionally, possible moderating and mediating variables are investigated. Using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) framework, eight peer-reviewed studies were identified that met inclusion criteria. The results indicate that resource recovery processes and employee well-being, as well as employee productivity are positively associated with digital leisure in the workplace. Age was found to moderate the relationship between digital leisure and self-reported employee productivity, while employee satisfaction was found to mediate the relationship between digital leisure and employee productivity. Future research directions are outlined and implications for the work context are discussed.

Assessing the Workplace Cyberloafing Behavior among Pharmacists in Pakistan.

Objective: After the commencement of the Internet and the popularity of various electronic devices, cyberloafing has become prevalent in the workplace regardless of professional type, demographic characteristics, and country. Individuals use the Internet for work-irrelevant purposes during work hours, which is believed to have a controversial role in work productivity. However, rare studies have paid attention to the prevalence of cyberloafing behavior among Pakistan pharmacists. Considering pharmacists' essential role in the health sector, this study investigates the prevalence of cyberloafing activities among workplace pharmacists in Pakistan. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among 242 registered pharmacists in Pakistan between October 2021 and February 2022 with a structured self-administered online questionnaire. The final sample consisted of 200 valid responses after screening. Data were processed through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses. Pearson Chi-square analysis was also used to test the correlation between factors. Findings: Descriptive analysis shows that pharmacists spend more time on sharing-related activities and least on gambling/gaming-related activities in the workplace. All the items' Cronbach's alpha values range from 0.923 to 0.927. The analysis indicates that (60%) pharmacists have intermediate Internet skills. The results also suggest that age, Internet usage, and work area have a strong relationship with cyberloafing behaviors which also, in turn, are linked with their perceived Internet skills. This study has important practical implications for pharmacy management in Pakistan. Conclusion: Cyberloafing behavior is prevalent among Pakistan pharmacists. Our findings could inspire how managers and all other relevant stakeholders could improve the pharmacy system in Pakistan.

Testing the validity and reliability of a Turkish version of the social cyberloafing scale.

PURPOSE: This paper aims to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the social cyberloafing (SC) scale as an important predictor of the mental health of healthcare employees. METHODS: The data for this descriptive cross-sectional study was obtained from 202 Turkish healthcare employees. We followed Dima's 6-step protocol for validation. FINDINGS: The one-dimensional structure of the scale was found to be homogenous (H = 0.54) and reliable (α = 0.87). The CFA demonstrated that the 7-item and one-factor construct was a valid instrument to measure the SC (GFI = 0.98, CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.95, SRMR = 0.03, RMSEA = 0.09). PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: These results demonstrated that the Turkish version of the SC scale is an accurate measurement tool.

The mixed blessing of cyberloafing on innovation performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced major changes in work routines. With many people now working from home, cyberloafing is increasingly widespread. The COVID-19 pandemic is also an economic downturn that is disruptive and challenging for organizations. Innovation is a vital strategy for organizations to survive and recover from the pandemic crisis. Recent research suggests that cyberloafing can produce complex workplace outcomes. Therefore, we seek to explore how and why cyberloafing affects employee innovation performance. Based on the conservation of resources theory, our study explores the potential positive and negative effects of cyberloafing on employee innovation performance by identifying job anxiety, state gratitude and perceived meaning of work as critical mediating mechanisms in the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from an online survey (N = 544) during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that COVID-19 based informational cyberloafing was positively related to employees' innovation performance by enhancing their perceived meaning of work. It simultaneously weakened and strengthened employees' perceived meaning of work through increased job anxiety and state gratitude, and ultimately had mixed effects on innovation performance. Our findings provide both theoretical and practical insights on personal internet use as well as innovation activation in crises.