Use of Online Social Network Sites for Personal Purposes at Work: Does it Impair Self-Reported Performance?1

Abstract

Abstract Online social network sites are often used for personal purposes during working hours. Whether or not such use interferes with and impairs work performance is obviously of organizational and economical interest. This impairment hypothesis was empirically tested by the current study. A total of 11,018 (5,656 male) employees participated in a web-based cross-sectional survey distributed in the online edition of several Norwegian newspapers. To investigate the relationship between the use of online social network sites for personal purposes during working hours and self-reported work performance, these measures were included with additional questions about demography (age, sex, education, relationship status, professional position) and personality (Mini-IPIP; Extroversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Intellect/Imagination). The data was analyzed by hierarchical regression analyses, where absolute (usual performance) and relative (usual performance compared to one's judgment of the...