From Social Exclusion to Digital Deviance: A Conditional Process Model of Emotional Exhaustion and Work Engagement
Contributors
- Dr. Muhammad Faisal Kamal Assistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
- Dr. Muhammad Mudassar Abbasi Assistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
- Dr. Abdul Ghafoor Assistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Abstract
The increased use of smartphones and internet-enabled technologies in workplaces has amplified concerns about cyberloafing behavior, particularly in IT-based organizations. Drawing on the Conservation of Resources theory, this study examines the relationship between workplace ostracism and cyberloafing among employees, specifically investigating the mediating role of emotional exhaustion and the moderating role of work engagement. Data were collected from 174 information technology (IT) professionals working in Pakistan through a survey-based research design. Hayes' PROCESS macro was employed to test the mediation and moderation effects, analyzing whether emotional exhaustion serves as a mechanism linking workplace ostracism to cyberloafing and whether work engagement weakens this relationship. The findings indicate that workplace ostracism is positively associated with cyberloafing behavior. Emotional exhaustion significantly mediates this relationship, suggesting that employees who experience social exclusion are more likely to engage in cyberloafing due to depleted emotional resources. Furthermore, work engagement moderates the relationship, such that the positive effect of workplace ostracism on cyberloafing is weaker among employees with higher levels of engagement. The study is based on cross-sectional data collected from IT professionals in Pakistan, which may limit causal inferences and the generalizability of findings to other industries and cultural contexts. The results highlight the importance of fostering inclusive workplace environments, reducing experiences of exclusion, managing emotional exhaustion, and strengthening work engagement to mitigate cyberloafing. This study extends the cyberloafing literature by integrating workplace ostracism, emotional exhaustion, and work engagement within a moderated mediation framework and offers evidence from a collectivist developing-country context characterized by rapid smartphone adoption.
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Corresponding Author
Dr. Muhammad Faisal Kamal
Assistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Corresponding Author: [email protected]
