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24 - The Dark Side of Workplace Technology

Cyber-Related Counterproductive Work Behavior, Workplace Mistreatment, and Violation of Workplace Ethics

from Part III - Implications for Talent Management and Impact on Employees

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2020

Brian J. Hoffman
Affiliation:
University of Georgia
Mindy K. Shoss
Affiliation:
University of Central Florida
Lauren A. Wegman
Affiliation:
University of Georgia
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Summary

While technology is beneficial in many ways for organizations, it also allows employees a plethora of new methods to engage in workplace mistreatment and other counterproductive work behavior (CWB). Thus, technology’s role in the changing nature of work includes contributing to deleterious organizational and employee wellbeing outcomes. This chapter focuses on newer cyber-CWB and cyber occupational health psychology (C-OHP) constructs that lead to these negative workplace effects, including cyber incivility, cyberbullying, cyberloafing, and cybersecurity behaviors. The extant literature in this nascent area suggests that many of these behaviors occur on a frequent basis in today’s workplace, and we provide recommendations to lessen the occurrence of C-CWB and C-OHP behaviors. We also discuss potential drawbacks of commonly employed deterrents of these behaviors, such as social media screening and workplace monitoring.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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