Exploring the Nexus between Supervisor Undermining and Cyberloafing: A potential Mediating role of Anger

Abstract

Cyberloafing is the use of internet access for non-work related activities during scheduled working hours is becoming a notable challenge for contemporary organizations. Given its probable antecedents, supervisor undermining may be a factor that can influence employee cyberloafing behavior which has not received enough attention to date. The present study addressed this research gap by examining the direct and indirect association between supervisor undermining and cyberloafing via the potential mediating role of anger as well as to the efficacy of cyberloafing as a coping mechanism. This link was established on the theoretical tents of affective events theory (AET). The study employed 596 valid responses; conveniently collected from the employees working in the software houses of two major cities of Pakistan (i.e., Islamabad and Rawalpindi). The conceptual model was tested using structural equation modeling via AMOS software. The statistical results established a direct and indirect association between supervisor undermining and cyberloafing via anger. This suggests that exposure to supervisor-undermining behavior influences employee cyberloafing behavior as an effective coping strategy. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.