The effects of work-related electronic communication during nonwork time on employee workplace deviance

Abstract

Advances in information and communication technologies have made organizations more efficient and flexible. However, such technologies have changed how employees work and blur the lines between work and nonwork domains. Drawing on theories of self-regulation and moral disengagement, this study investigates how and when work-related electronic communication during nonwork time leads to employees' negative behaviors. Using two daily survey across two consecutive weeks, we found that work-related electronic communication during nonwork time increased the level of employees' self-regulation depletion and subsequent moral disengagement, resulting in increased workplace deviance the next day. Moreover, segmentation preference amplified the serial indirect effect of work-related electronic communication during nonwork time on workplace deviance (via self-regulation depletion and moral disengagement). Our findings extend the research on work-related electronic communication during nonwork time by offering further insights into its behavioral consequences.