When time theft promotes performance: Measure development and validation of time theft motives.

Time theft is a disservice to the organization, both economically and productively. This research aims to examine the effect of transformational leadership and organizational justice on employee time theft in Mandailing Natal Regency. Sample of this research is civil servant (N=377) at 34 government institution in Mandailing Natal Regency. This type of research is correlational research. The method used to measure variables using self-report. Data analysis using multiple linear regression. The result showed that transformational leadership did not have a significant effect on the time theft (β = -0,032 p>0,05), meanwhile organizational justice have a significant effect on time theft (β = -0,209 p<0,05). The negative regression coefficient value showed the direction of the negative relationship between the organizational justice and time theft, means that the higher the organizational justice felt by employees, the lower the chances of that person committing time theft. Vice versa, the lower organizational justice felt by employees, the higher the chance that person will commit time theft behavior. Keywords: Time Theft, Transformational Leadership, Organizational Justice.

Despite its prevalence, high cost, and practical import, employee time theft has received scant research attention. To facilitate future scholarship on this important topic, the present research endeavors to clarify the conceptualization of time theft and advance understanding regarding the range of its behavioral manifestations, develop and validate an instrument to assess time theft, and provide preliminary insights into its nomological net. Results, gathered across nine samples of employees who are paid on an hourly wage scale, suggest that time theft is a multidimensional formative construct, is distinct from other deviant work behaviors (e.g., withdrawal, property theft), and is influenced by instrumental (e.g., pay satisfaction) and expressive motives (e.g., boredom). Finally, time theft explained incremental variance in criterion variables (e.g., receipt or enactment of interpersonal help) controlling for the effects of other discrete manifestations of deviance (e.g., withdrawal). Implications for future scholarship and managerial practice are discussed.

Time theft—time that employees waste or spend not working during their scheduled work hours—poses serious costs to many employers. Although previous research has suggested the importance of social norms for understanding time theft behavior, experimental studies are lacking. This paper presents the results of two preregistered experiments that examined if information about whether most people engage in time theft or not (descriptive norms) has effects on intentions and attitudes to steal time at work. The results confirmed that people are less willing to conduct time theft if they are led to believe that others avoid such behaviors (Experiment 1, N = 170). However, the same norm information did not alter people's moral judgments of coworkers who engage in time theft (Experiment 2, N = 183). The findings tentatively suggest that the less time theft employees see, the less time theft they will commit.

In today's fast-paced corporate environment, leadership styles play a crucial role in shaping employee behavior and organizational outcomes. This study investigates the indirect effects of laissez-faire leadership on employee time theft, a prevalent issue that impacts productivity and organizational efficiency. Laissez-faire leadership, characterized by a hands-off approach and lack of direct supervision, can create an environment where employees feel less accountable for their time management. This research utilizes a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, to explore the relationship between laissez-faire leadership and time theft behaviors among employees. The findings suggest that laissez-faire leadership indirectly fosters time theft by reducing employee engagement and increasing job dissatisfaction. Additionally, the study highlights the mediating role of organizational culture and peer influence in exacerbating or mitigating time theft. By understanding these dynamics, organizations can develop more effective leadership strategies and interventions to minimize time theft and enhance overall productivity.

Time theft is a costly yet poorly understood phenomenon in business organizations. Although research has addressed workplace deviance on the part of employees, much of this work has focused on severe forms of deviance. The relative attention given to nonaggressive, production-oriented and organizationally targeted deviant behavior such as time theft is much less, despite its serious consequences. We contribute to this literature by examining the effect of abusive supervision on time theft in the context of Vietnam. We utilize a sociocognitive theory-based reasoning to propose a model. We found that time theft is the outcome of a simultaneous interaction between abusive supervision, moral disengagement, and equity sensitivity. Our model and empirical results suggest that a complex process of social information processing, with several countervailing factors balancing each other, influences time theft. We provide a discussion of these results, directions for future research, and the limitations of our study.

Time theft, defined as employee engagement in non-work-related activities during work hours, imposes significant organizational costs; however, its underlying causes remain largely underexplored. This study addresses this theoretical gap by examining the combined influence of Dark Triad personality traits (psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism) and key situational factors (general loneliness, social media addiction, and workplace boredom) on three distinct dimensions of time theft: classic, technological, and social. The analysis, based on survey data from 264 private and public sector employees in Sakarya, Turkey, revealed that psychopathy and Machiavellianism initially correlated strongly with classic and technological time theft. Nevertheless, their predictive ability was significantly attenuated when situational variables were introduced into the full regression model. Specifically, workplace boredom and social media addiction emerged as robust predictors, exerting a dominant influence over the Dark Triad traits. Neither narcissism, general loneliness, nor standard demographic variables demonstrated a significant relationship with any dimension of time theft. The paper concludes by discussing the conceptual implications of these findings within Turkey's traditional collectivist culture and proposing avenues for future research and practical intervention strategies.

Purpose Despite its growing prevalence, the outcomes and mechanisms of time theft remain underexplored. Drawing on social cognitive and self-perception theories, this study proposes a moderated dual-path model explaining how time theft can both hinder and foster organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) intentions. Design/methodology/approach A 2-wave survey was conducted among 380 employees in China to empirically test the proposed model. Hierarchical regression was used to test the hypotheses. Findings Results revealed a dual mechanism: time theft reduced OCB intentions via psychological entitlement but enhanced them via guilt. Notably, efficiency promotion motive moderated these diametric effects, mitigating the entitlement-mediated deterioration while amplifying the guilt-mediated amelioration. Practical implications Organizations should recognize the moral ambivalent nature of time theft and tackle it with nuanced strategies. Understanding the underlying motives of time theft might help to deal with its paradoxical influences. Originality/value This study challenges the view of time theft as purely harmful by revealing its opposing effects on OCB intentions. Integrating social cognitive and self-perception theories, it explains the moral ambivalence of time theft through two mechanisms – moral compensation and moral disengagement. By incorporating efficiency-driven motives, the study broadens the motivational understanding of time theft and offers a nuanced perspective on workplace deviance and prosocial intentions.

Purpose —Workplace gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse that causes employees to doubt their perceptions and abilities. When enacted by supervisors, its impact is amplified due to power asymmetries. This study examines workplace gaslighting in Pakistan’s service sector and investigates the mediating role of episodic envy in linking gaslighting to time theft and psychological withdrawal behaviors. Study Design/Methodology/Approach—Grounded in Affective Events Theory (AET), the study conceptualizes episodic envy as an affective response through which gaslighting influences employee behavior. A three-wave, time-lagged survey design was employed with service sector employees in Pakistan (N = 480), with 2–3 week intervals between waves. Gaslighting was measured at Time 1, episodic envy at Time 2, and time theft and psychological withdrawal at Time 3 using self-reported measures. Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS, and mediation was tested through bootstrapping. Findings —Results support the proposed relationships. Workplace gaslighting is positively associated with episodic envy, which in turn is linked to increased time theft and psychological withdrawal. Bootstrapped indirect effects confirm the mediating role of episodic envy in these relationships. Practical Implications —The findings highlight supervisor gaslighting as a critical interpersonal stressor in service organizations. Preventive strategies such as leadership screening, respectful communication training, and clear reporting mechanisms are recommended. Additionally, fostering psychological safety and reducing harmful social comparisons may help mitigate negative behavioral outcomes. Originality/Value —This study adds to the existing research by examining workplace gaslighting in a non-Western context and by identifying episodic envy as a key mediating mechanism. On the assumptions of AET, this study emphasizes affective responses, offering a more nuanced understanding of how gaslighting translates into withdrawal and deviant behaviors. Limitations include reliance on self-reported data and restricted causal inference

The main objective of this study was to understand why employees engage in time theft behavior and what is the behavioral consequence of this deviant behavior. To do this, the conservation of resources theory helps to examine the role of organizational cronyism behind employee time theft behavior and decreased proactive behavior. A three-wave self-administered employee survey was used for data collection. The data were collected through an adopted questionnaire from nurses working in the public sector hospitals of Pakistan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze data collected from 256 respondents. The results of this three-wave study supported the hypotheses which are: (1) Organizational cronyism positively predicts employee involvement in time theft behavior. (2) Employee time theft behavior negatively impacts their proactive behavior. (3) Organizational cronyism is detrimental to employee proactive behavior. (4) The relationship between organizational cronyism and proactive behavior is mediated by time theft. In the presence of organizational cronyism, employees use time theft as a dysfunctional coping strategy to conserve their valued resources rather than allowing the organization to consume them. Organizational leaders of public sector hospitals must promote merit-based HRM practices to discourage time theft behavior as well as to improve the proactive performances of the nurses. This study is one of the initial attempts to extend the scant literature on the antecedents and consequences of time theft behavior and its dimensions in the South Asian context.

Purpose Time theft is a widespread and costly workplace deviant behavior. Based on social information processing theory, the authors build a multilevel model to explore when and how team-level high involvement work systems (HIWSs) could effectively reduce time theft behavior. Specifically, this study aims to propose that HIWSs relate to employee time theft through the mediating effect of psychological empowerment and the moderating role of team-level organizational identification. Design/methodology/approach Through a three-wave field survey, this study successfully collected data from 396 employees and their 87 direct supervisors working in different industries in an eastern province of China. Findings The results suggest that HIWSs reduce employee time theft via psychological empowerment, and team-level organizational identification strengthens the indirect effect. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by introducing HIWSs as a human resource management-related antecedent of time theft. It also identifies psychological empowerment as a key mediator that links HIWSs to employee time theft and reveals the moderating role of organizational identification in the relationship.

The growing organizational adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has led to increasing reliance on AI systems for task execution. While existing studies have extensively explored AI applications in workplace contexts, the drawbacks of AI dependence remain underexplored. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) paradigm, this study examines how AI dependence drives employees’ time theft behaviors, while identifying contextual moderators shaping this dynamic. Empirical analysis of 296 validated organizational samples revealed three key findings: (1) AI dependence exhibits a significant positive association with time theft; (2) work alienation mediates the AI dependence-time theft linkage; and (3) transformational leadership serves as a negative moderator of this relationship. The results advance theoretical understanding of AI dependence consequences and offer actionable strategies to enhance employee experiences in AI-enhanced workplaces while mitigating technological dependence risks.

Although past research has found that professional isolation can affect discernible work‐related outcomes (e.g. job performance and turnover) and important job attitudes, researchers have not examined its impact on those less discernible but still costly work behaviours. Drawing on self‐regulation theories, this study examined the effect of professional isolation on employees' cyberloafing and time theft through self‐control capacity impairment. With longitudinal data collected from 343 U.S. employees across five consecutive weeks at the early stage of the pandemic (i.e. from mid‐March to late April 2020), our results of latent change score modelling analyses found that professional isolation change was positively related with changes in cyberloafing and time theft via change in self‐control capacity impairment. The results increase our understanding of the hidden performance cost of professional isolation. This research also shifts the research focus from a static, between‐person perspective to dynamic, within‐person changes in professional isolation and related outcomes. The findings shed light on the self‐regulation perspective in understanding the harmful consequences of professional isolation. Implications for future research are discussed along with practical implications for organisations.

ABSTRACTDespite the growing prevalence of telework in the workplace, the impact of telework extent on deviant workplace behaviors, especially time theft, has received scant research attention. Notwithstanding common assumptions, Microsoft and Ctrip have demonstrated in practice that telework does not necessarily lead to time theft among teleworkers. Inspired by these insights, the current research leverages the theoretical perspective of moral self‐regulation, proposing that telework extent threatens moral justification and displacement of responsibility, thereby reducing time theft behavior. The strength of these above indirect effects is contingent upon the key individual moral trait of teleworkers, namely moral attentiveness. This moderated mediation model is validated through a three‐wave study involving a sample of 304 teleworkers. Implications of how telework extent influences time theft behaviors from the moral self‐regulation perspective are discussed.

Time banditry has recently been introduced as a conceptually distinct construct in the counterproductive work behavior literature. An employee is engaged in time banditry if s/he pursues unsanctioned and/or unethical nonwork activities during work time. An analysis of the time banditry construct would be facilitated by the rigorous development of a measure of this construct. The purpose of this research was to develop and refine a multidimensional measure of time banditry. Items were generated through an extensive literature review and numerous workplace discussions with a diverse sample of employees. Through this process, we developed a 45‐item time banditry scale (Time Banditry Questionnaire; TBQ) and utilized it with a diverse sample. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the construct of time banditry is multidimensional, exhibiting three distinct factors (classic, technology, and social). The TBQ demonstrated an internal consistency reliability of .90. Implications for the use of the TBQ in future research and application in organizations are discussed. The most salient suggestion in this study is that time banditry is more closely related to situational variables and personality variables than it is related to demographic variables.

This chapter explores barriers to individual work performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the African context. To access the real world, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 employees in a SME operating in the industrial sector in Douala, Cameroon. Findings from a thematic content analysis show that several obstacles described in the managerial literature, such as work characteristics (variety of skills, task identity, meaning of the task, autonomy, feedback), organizational justice, work organization and bullying, are also found in Cameroon. However, three new barriers emerge from our study: time theft, participation in community activities, and irregularity of salaries which prevent employees from showing adaptive, contextual, and task performance. Managerial implications are therefore suggested in order to optimize employees’ performance in SMEs.