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

Abstract

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.

Cyberloafing: A review and research agenda

“…Rahimnia and Mazidi (2015) also noted that more educated employees in Iran engaged in less cyberloafing. In a similar vein, Sarıoğlu Kemer and Dedeşin Özcan (2021) found that nurses with higher levels of education were better at self‐regulation and engaged in lower levels of cyberloafing (e.g., watching videos and playing games).…”

“…Some studies showed that age (Ahmad & Omar, 2017; Koay et al, 2017b) was not significantly related with cyberloafing while others found the relationship to be significant. With the exception of Restubog et al's (2011) study, which showed that older employees engaged in higher levels of cyberloafing, most studies found that young people were more likely to engage in cyberloafing (Alharthi et al, 2021; Andreassen et al, 2014; Betts et al, 2014; Canaan Messarra et al, 2011; Çınar & Karcıoğlu, 2015; Everton et al, 2005; Henle & Blanchard, 2008; Holland et al, 2016; Jia et al, 2013; Mastrangelo et al, 2006; Page, 2015; Phillips & Reddie, 2007; Sarıoğlu Kemer & Dedeşin Özcan, 2021; Sheikh et al, 2015; Ugrin et al, 2007; Vitak et al, 2011). Also, Phillips and Reddie (2007) found that young people were more likely to engage in personal email use while at work.…”

“…Research found that singles were more likely to engage in cyberloafing behavior compared with married individuals (Andreassen et al, 2014; Canaan Messarra et al, 2011; Çınar & Karcıoğlu, 2015; Sarıoğlu Kemer & Dedeşin Özcan, 2021). In a study focusing on the use of social network sites (SNS) during work hours, Andreassen et al (2014) noted that marital status was a significant predictor of cyberloafing.…”

“…Drawing from the TPB and theory of reasoned action, extant studies found a positive relationship between habit formation and cyberloafing intention and behavior (Betts et al, 2014;Bock, Park, & Zhang, 2010;Chavan et al, 2021;Chun & Bock, 2006;Elciyar & Simsek, 2021;Garrett & Danziger, 2008a;Huma et al, 2017;Jamaluddin et al, 2015;Koay et al, 2017b;Park et al, 2021;Pee et al, 2008;Sarıoğlu Kemer & Dedeşin Özcan, 2021;Vitak et al, 2011). Findings revealed that employees' frequent use of the Internet at work for nonwork-related tasks (usage frequency and usage comprehensiveness) significantly predicted habit formation that in turn strengthened the relationship between cyberloafing intention and behavior, resulting in long-term cyberloafing behaviors (Betts et al, 2014;Huma et al, 2017).…”

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

“…Cyberloafing can distract nurses and increase the possibility of operational errors, leading to substandard care practices [ 6 ]. Previous surveys have shown that many employees spend a significant amount of their work time on cyberloafing [ 7 ], which wasted a lot of time resources and brought unnecessary losses for organizations [ 8 , 9 ]. For any organizations, this issue has posed a serious management challenge.…”