Exploring the Underlying Structure of Personal Web Usage in the Workplace

Abstract

Personal Web usage (PWU) represents a tension between employers and employees as employers generally regard employees' PWU as negative and employees see many PWU behaviors as acceptable. Employers attempt to limit PWU primarily through electronic monitoring and Internet usage policies. Employees, however, find PWU not only permissible, but also useful and rationalize these workplace behaviors. While researchers identified many PWU behaviors, the underlying structure of the phenomenon is not clearly understood. In this article, we offer a comprehensive new definition of PWU, and develop an empirically grounded classification of PWU framed by psychological contract theory and based on two studies. Using multidimensional scaling techniques and cluster analysis, we identified four clusters of PWU behaviors-work/family, hedonic, self-development, and citizenship. The results provide information as to what constitutes the domain of PWU, and how various usages are related to one another via the dimensions of individual and organizational benefits. We offer directions for future work and suggest how our work might be useful to practitioners.

Work–family role integration and personal well-being: The moderating effect of attitudes towards personal web usage

“…By enhancing employee psychological and social needs, organizational goals may also be met (Anandarajan & Simmers, 2003). In the long run, work/family PWU may be helpful to create a more productive work force with positive effects on the psychological contract between employees and employers (Anandarajan et al, 2011). In line with these facts, as depicted in Fig.…”

“…In the work domain, many of the activities performed using the web lack a direct connection to the official responsibilities entrusted to employees. While organizations often overlook and seldom use to PWU to their advantage, in practice, employees recognize the positive benefits of PWU (Anandarajan & Simmers, 2003;Anandarajan et al, 2011). In fact, organizations may come to realize that 15 min of bill paying, game playing, and car buying online may be a fair trade for time spent by employees working outside of ''business hours.''…”

“…By questioning the homogenous and negative connotations ascribed to PWU, Anandarajan and Simmers (2003) emphasized the need to distinguish between, and include, both the negative and the positive aspects of PWU. In a recent study, Anandarajan et al (2011) used multidimensional scaling techniques and cluster analysis to explain the underlying structure of PWU. The scholars offered a new comprehensive definition of PWU and identified four clusters of PWU behaviors -work/family, hedonic, self-development, and citizenship.…”

“…Attitudes towards work/family PWU were measured with a 10-item scale developed for this study based on work by Anandarajan et al (2011). Response options ranged from ''1'' (strongly disagree) to ''5'' (strongly agree).…”

“…Since the boundary between work and family is increasingly blurred, the use of the web for personal reasons in the workplace can create a new portal in the work-family interface, as the web is an enabling tool (Anandarajan & Simmers, 2003;Anandarajan, Simmers, & D'Ovidio, 2011). As work moves beyond the traditional eight-hour day, nine-to-five, PWU allows flexibility to accomplish personal tasks even if working time intrudes on non-work time.…”