Minor and serious cyberloafing in the workplace: antecedents and effects on job satisfaction

Xin Zhang, Hao Guo, Liang Ma and Ge Zhang

Behaviour and Information Technology, 2025, vol. 44, issue 2, 387-406

Abstract: The duality of cyberloafing is a topic that has always been debated. Considering this, the purpose of this paper is to classify cyberloafing and explore the antecedents of different degrees of cyberloafing and their different effects on job satisfaction. Using the Technology-Organisation-Environment Framework and the conservation of resources theory, this paper proposes a research model to investigate the mediation mechanism of cyberloafing. Using the partial least square method (PLS) SEM method to analyze 294 employees’ data, the results show that: (1) Work-related enterprise social media usage only negatively affects serious cyberloafing, while social-related enterprise social media usage only positively affects minor cyberloafing. (2) The impact of perceived IT control policy on minor cyberloafing was not statistically significant, while negatively affected serious cyberloafing. In terms of environment factors, the study shows that prescriptive norms and work overload have opposite effects on cyberloafing, with work overload having no significant effect on minor cyberloafing. Significantly, policy satisfaction plays a significant moderating role between environment factors and cyberloafing. (3) Minor cyberloafing positively affects job satisfaction, while serious cyberloafing negatively affects job satisfaction. Our findings provide instrumental insights into how enterprise managers manage employees to improve employees’ job satisfaction, control different degrees of cyberloafing.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/0144929X.2024.2319099

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