Purpose This study aims to examine how and when workplace hazing impacts cyberloafing, drawing on social exchange theory and social cognitive theory. Moral disengagement is examined as a mediator in the relationship between workplace hazing and cyberloafing. In addition, employee resilience and negative reciprocity beliefs are tested as moderators influencing the strength of the mediating effect of moral disengagement. Design/methodology/approach Data from 1,217 participants were collected using a survey method. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to verify the research model. Findings Results show that workplace hazing has a significant positive impact on both moral disengagement and cyberloafing. Moreover, moral disengagement mediates the relationship between workplace hazing and cyberloafing. Employee resilience and negative reciprocity beliefs are identified as significant moderators of the mediating relationship between workplace hazing and cyberloafing through moral disengagement. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine how workplace hazing impacts cyberloafing by proposing and empirically testing the mediating role of moral disengagement. In addition, two moderators are identified that influence the indirect effect of workplace hazing on cyberloafing through moral disengagement. This provides a novel theoretical contribution to the existing literature.
Koay et al. (Tue,) studied this question.