How decisional and general procrastination relate to procrastination at work: An investigation of office and non-office workers

Abstract

Procrastination is a common behavior with several negative outcomes. At work, it can be harmful for both organizations and employees. However, its unique nature has only been briefly studied. This study examined the extent to which procrastination at work can be predicted by a personality tendency to procrastinate (i.e., general and decisional procrastination), and what effect the work context has on this relationship. The results indicated that both personality-oriented types of procrastination positively predicted procrastination at work, with decisional procrastination as the stronger predictor. Furthermore, the work context moderated the relationship between decisional and general procrastination and procrastination at work, indicating that for office employees these relationships are stronger. This study suggests that procrastination at work is somewhat related to the personality tendency to procrastinate, especially for decisional procrastination and for office employees. This information may be important both for preventing and intervening in procrastination in the workplace, and for the scientific literature.