Cyberloafing and Personality

Abstract

The current study sought to expand prior research on cyberloafing by considering the impact of personality, as well as some previously unexplored situational factors. Specifically, we examined the impact of the Big Five personality factors, as well as the presence of an Internet usage policy and perceived work meaningfulness, on the amount of employee cyberloafing. Hierarchical regression analyses found that, controlling for gender and age, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and the presence of an Internet usage policy were all negatively related with cyberloafing whereas extroversion had a significant, positive relationship with cyberloafing. Implications of these findings for research and managerial practices are discussed.