Lost sleep and cyberloafing: Evidence from the laboratory and a Daylight Saving Time quasi-experiment

Author

David T. WAGNER, Singapore Management UniversityFollow
Christopher M. BARNES, Virginia Tech University
Vivien K. G. LIM, National University of Singapore
D. Lance FERRIS, Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus

Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

9-2012

Abstract

The Internet is a powerful tool that has changed the way people work. However, the ubiquity of the Internet has led to a new workplace threat to productivity—cyberloafing. Building on the ego depletion model of self-regulation, we examine how lost and low-quality sleep influence employee cyberloafing behaviors and how individual differences in conscientiousness moderate these effects. We also demonstrate that the shift to Daylight Saving Time (DST) results in a dramatic increase in cyberloafing behavior at the national level. We first tested the DST–cyberloafing relation through a national quasi-experiment, then directly tested the relation between sleep and cyberloafing in a closely controlled laboratory setting. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory, practice, and future research.

Keywords

Daylight Saving Time (DST), conscientiousness, cyberloafing, self-regulation, sleep, employees

Discipline

Organizational Behavior and Theory | Psychology

Research Areas

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources

Publication

Journal of Applied Psychology

Volume

97

Issue

5

First Page

1068

Last Page

1076

ISSN

0021-9010

Identifier

10.1037/a0027557

Publisher

American Psychological Association

Citation

WAGNER, David T.; BARNES, Christopher M.; LIM, Vivien K. G.; and FERRIS, D. Lance. Lost sleep and cyberloafing: Evidence from the laboratory and a Daylight Saving Time quasi-experiment. (2012). Journal of Applied Psychology. 97, (5), 1068-1076.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/3210

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027557