Purpose Possession and usage of data-enabled smartphones have added further complexity to the issue of cyberloafing behavior and it certainly evokes newer ethical concerns. This study aims to explore how working individuals perceive the ethicality of their cyberloafing behaviors at the workplace and the cognitive logics they apply to justify their cyberloafing behavior. Design/methodology/approach Incorporating constructivist grounded theory methodology, 19 working managers from various organizations were interviewed face-to-face and responses were audio-recorded with prior consent. The recordings were transcribed verbatim, simultaneously analyzed and coded to let the themes emerge out of the data. Findings The research showed that working managers use varied combinations of office computers, personal laptops, smartphones, wireless internet provided at the office and personal mobile-internet to loaf around at workplaces. Moreover, it unearthed that employees use nine different neutralization techniques and six different ethical logics (with normative undertones) in a network fashion while considering the ethicality of cyberloafing behavior. Practical implications Recognizing the complexities is imperative to moderate any deviant behavior in an organization. The layers of ethicality and neutralization tactics will equip the working managers and companies to place the required internet and smartphone usage policies in the future. Originality/value This research has taken into account all forms of cyberloafing behaviors. The perceived ethicality of cyberloafing behavior at the workplace was not fully explored in a holistic manner before, specifically in the Indian context.

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Purpose Previous studies on cyberloafing have so far not focused on the interlinkages among push factors, pull factors, consequences of actions and value orientations of the employees in a comprehensive manner. The purpose of this study is to close that gap by integrating push-pull theory with means-end chain framework. Design/methodology/approach Using a soft-laddering technique, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 Indian employees from various organizations with prior written consent. After performing the content analysis and preparation of ladders, an implication matrix and a hierarchical value map were constructed using the LadderUX tool. Findings “Upholding conversational conformity,” “achieving efficiency through noise cancellation,” “addressing occasional requirements,” “social networking as a coping mechanism,” “staying informed and sharing opinions,” “attempting job or profile alteration” and “fulfilling transactional obligations” turned out to be the seven prominent means-end chain patterns, with their respective push-pull factors, consequences and value orientations. This study also suggested the multifaceted character of cyberloafing in a continuum, from “serious-destructive” to “minor-positive” to “facilitative-productive.” Research limitations/implications This study has been conducted by focusing on cyberloafing at physical workplaces and not in the context of distributed work environments. Practical implications The findings of this study will enable organizations to frame an appropriate set of guidelines to control this behavior. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to integrate the push-pull theory and means-end chain framework to explore the nuances of cyberloafing among employees.

The objective of this study is to test the differential effect of challenge and hindrance stressors on cyberloafing, specifically using attentiveness and anger as mediators, respectively. It also investigates the effect of trait mindfulness as a moderator on the effect of hindrance stressors on cyberloafing through anger. We collected data from 304 full-time Indian employees, working in broad-ranging industries and functions. The findings showed that challenge stressors have an indirect negative effect on cyberloafing through attentiveness. The results also indicated that anger partially mediates the positive relationship between hindrance stressors and cyberloafing. Simple moderation analysis revealed that high trait mindfulness lowers the impact of hindrance stressors on anger. Moreover, trait mindfulness moderated the indirect effect of hindrance stressors on cyberloafing through anger, in a way that the indirect effect became weaker in the case of high trait mindfulness. To regulate cyberloafing, we discussed the importance of optimizing challenge stressors to increase attentiveness and enhancing trait mindfulness to weaken the negative effects of hindrance stressors on anger and cyberloafing in the context of the theoretical and practical contribution of the study.