The Interactive Effect of Stressor Appraisals and Personal Traits on Employees’ Procrastination Behavior: The Conservation of Resources Perspective

Abstract

Purpose Procrastination has become a pervasive phenomenon in the workplace, yet knowledge of its antecedents remains limited. Therefore, this study explains when and why employees procrastinate. As procrastination is an individual intentional behavior to escape potential resource loss by taking actions to relax; this study regards procrastination as resource-protection behavior. Building on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, the purpose of the current study is to explore the direct impact of external situational factors (ie, stressor appraisals) and individual traits (ie, personality) and their interactive effect on workplace procrastination behavior. Participants and Methods The study adopts a quantitative approach and uses two-wave data. Data was collected through the randomized cluster sampling technique and a structured questionnaire survey. The sample consisted of civil servants in an organization located in the Shandong province of China. Received 347 valid questionnaires representing an overall response rate of 87%. The theoretical model was tested through confirmatory factor analysis and regression analyses using Mplus 7.2. Results The results show that hindrance stressor appraisal is positively related to procrastination, whereas challenge stressor appraisal is negatively related to procrastination. Neuroticism had a positive relationship with procrastination, while conscientiousness had a negative relationship with procrastination. Conscientiousness moderates the relationship between challenge stressor appraisal and procrastination such that the relationship is salient under high conscientiousness. Conclusion Overall, our study suggests that procrastination is affected by personal traits and workplace stressor appraisals. This study makes potential contributions to employees’ procrastination literature by and its understanding within the job procrastination knowledge base. Also, this study confirms the comprehensive reach and applicability of the COR theory developed by scholars such as Hobfoll (1989). In practically, the research benefits organizations by providing suggestions for managing employees’ procrastination behavior.

Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Social Support as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Technostress and Quality of Life Among University Students

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Self-Perceptions and Benefits of Psychological Resilience Among Women Academics in the Context of Working in South African Higher Education Institutions (SA-HEIs): A Mixed-Method Approach

“…For example, high mindfulness and self-efficacy lead to appraisal and problem-focused coping, while high neuroticism leads to emotion-focused coping (Smith et al, 2016). Emotion-focused coping is associated with neuroticism in the form of increased levels of emotional exhaustion, self-destructive behaviors, high states of fatigue (Huang et al, 2023; Van den Brande et al, 2017). The literature suggests that while coping strategies may vary among situations and individuals, combining them can enhance psychological adjustment.…”

“…Hence, people who demonstrate persistent signs of neuroticism are often referred to as neurotic individuals. Neuroticism is linked to an increased risk of exhibiting self-destructive behaviors that interfere with work and personal life (Huang et al, 2023; Rees et al, 2015). There is theoretical and empirical evidence to suggest that the biological make-up of an individual is likely to influence their level of neuroticism (George et al, 2011; Magal et al, 2021).…”

Use of Technology at Night & Job Demands in Bank Managers: Boosting and Explanatory Influence of Personality Traits in Procrastination

“…Another study elucidated that procrastination is affected by personality traits. Whereas, neuroticism appeared to be positively correlated with procrastination, and conscientiousness appeared to be inversely correlated with procrastination (Huang et al, 2023). There has been a latest trend to conduct research to build connectivity between personality traits and procrastination.…”