Work-related computing at home and nonwork-related computing at work: a self-determination perspective

Purpose This study investigates why employees' cyber-loafing is affected by work-related computing at home. Based on the self-determination theory, the authors propose the mediating role of sense of control and the moderating role of work/family segmentation preference. Design/methodology/approach To test the authors' hypotheses, the authors conducted a multi-wave, multi-source field study with 224 paired employee-leader dyads at three time points. The hypotheses were tested by the SPSS macro application in Hayes (2018) with a bootstrap approach to obtain confidence intervals. Findings The work-related computing at home promotes employee cyber-loafing as compensation for their impaired sense of control. Moreover, such a relationship is stronger for employees with a stronger desire for self-control (i.e. high work/family segmentation preference). Originality/value This study reveals the underlying mechanism linking the work-related computing at home and employee cyber-loafing, as well as the boundary condition of this relationship. Specifically, sense of control serves as a vital mechanism and work/family segmentation preference as a key boundary condition. In addition, the authors enrich the application of self-determination theory in management research.