




































    

 American Journal of Medical and Physical Education 

Vol.9, Issue 3; May-June 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0524 

Impact Factor: 6.14 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJMPE; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

1 | American Journal of Medical and Physical Education 
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CYBERLOAFING BEHAVIOUR IN WORKPLACE: PROBING ITS EFFECTS ON 

ORGANIZATIONS’ PRODUCTIVITY AS EVIDENCED FROM LITERATURE 

 
1Dr. Blessing Chinwe Ovwromoh (Ph.D.) and 2Assoc. Prof. Abraham Oriji (Ph.D.; DLS.) 
1Department of Adult & Non-Formal Education, Faculty of Education, University of PortHarcourt, Nigeria. 
2Department of Curriculum Studies & Educational Technology,  

Faculty of Education, University of PortHarcourt, PortHarcourt, Nigeria. 

DOI: https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.11519626 

 

Abstract: Technological advancements of the 21st century dictate how things are done. These technologies have 

also come with lots of benefits and negativities, especially in the workplace. The word cyberloafing is one of the 

technological terms that is gaining ground in recent times, particularly in the industry. The dawn of the Internet 

in the present century is like an elephant viewed by different persons from all sides that is prone to several 

interpretations. Due to several activities performed on the Internet, several technological terms have emerged. 

One such term is referred to as “Cyberloafing”. It has been identified as one of the most common ways employees 

waste their precious time at workplaces, doing unrelated activities as opposed to their assigned jobs by their 

employers. However, Syed, Singh, Thangaraju & Yok (2020) opined that there is an existing hullabaloo among 

researchers about the impact of cyberloafing on employees' job performance. Some argue that cyberloafing 

distracts employees from effective job performance, while others argue that cyberloafing is very helpful as it adds 

quality to employees' work. Hence, the focus of this paper is to review past literature to understand the impact of 

cyberloafing. Firstly, to conceptualize the term “Cyberloafing” and explain it to the understanding of a neophyte 

in the field. It will address the problems of cyberloafing (technological distractions) in any related workplace. 

The paper will further examine the immediate causes, how cyberloafing impacts an organization's productivity, 

and how to adopt appropriate counter-measures to help reduce the incidents in any type of organization in modern 

times.  

Keywords: Cyberloafing, Employees' productivity, social media, workplace deviance, security technology, and 

Work performance. 

 

Introduction 

Thanks to the dawn of the internet that makes almost everything available online, which we surf at the click of 

the computer mice and the keyboards when we want to socialize, finding new things, booking travels, etc. This 

has given rise to increased cyberloafing in the 21st century, which we perceive and practice in our day-to-day 

work (Rehan, 2023). Internet addiction, the urge to post everything on social media, and google searches for 

minor things have also led to an increase in cyberloafing, and this incident has become more widespread and now 

very difficult to monitor what employees’ do while working from home. 

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https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sumera-Syed?_sg%5B0%5D=48kXZX7ieY0T6wpTIHFiaaI_FeJbPqAv1ydGjJ1xREJQJ6NdUq636xvx45-NxFoePxwYnI4.6mSL6DeRQ5MZ0V-30MlVGqjMu5chd2Oa3ibdO8gFM1jYK-MTLoIEtH3bQxRyJDLaLW1VB6b4R9TEHx6h8_n-cA&_sg%5B1%5D=9Ll7CehkTc2qnpHYPhwAH-vo7bCGM069uK8X3mA0CS621ITbLGoLbtmJUtaWo4jrTXzL1c0.Y5A8u-HEwpDtihk2ZB8aTEGkGYL5B7I9wDYOAiTG4vbtOwExr3ixlBDzbE0cDC86BD7JEuVhpMbAWjFF9yKESQ
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Harcharanjit-Singh?_sg%5B0%5D=48kXZX7ieY0T6wpTIHFiaaI_FeJbPqAv1ydGjJ1xREJQJ6NdUq636xvx45-NxFoePxwYnI4.6mSL6DeRQ5MZ0V-30MlVGqjMu5chd2Oa3ibdO8gFM1jYK-MTLoIEtH3bQxRyJDLaLW1VB6b4R9TEHx6h8_n-cA&_sg%5B1%5D=9Ll7CehkTc2qnpHYPhwAH-vo7bCGM069uK8X3mA0CS621ITbLGoLbtmJUtaWo4jrTXzL1c0.Y5A8u-HEwpDtihk2ZB8aTEGkGYL5B7I9wDYOAiTG4vbtOwExr3ixlBDzbE0cDC86BD7JEuVhpMbAWjFF9yKESQ
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Savithry-Thangaraju?_sg%5B0%5D=48kXZX7ieY0T6wpTIHFiaaI_FeJbPqAv1ydGjJ1xREJQJ6NdUq636xvx45-NxFoePxwYnI4.6mSL6DeRQ5MZ0V-30MlVGqjMu5chd2Oa3ibdO8gFM1jYK-MTLoIEtH3bQxRyJDLaLW1VB6b4R9TEHx6h8_n-cA&_sg%5B1%5D=9Ll7CehkTc2qnpHYPhwAH-vo7bCGM069uK8X3mA0CS621ITbLGoLbtmJUtaWo4jrTXzL1c0.Y5A8u-HEwpDtihk2ZB8aTEGkGYL5B7I9wDYOAiTG4vbtOwExr3ixlBDzbE0cDC86BD7JEuVhpMbAWjFF9yKESQ
https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Koh-Yok-2183719837?_sg%5B0%5D=48kXZX7ieY0T6wpTIHFiaaI_FeJbPqAv1ydGjJ1xREJQJ6NdUq636xvx45-NxFoePxwYnI4.6mSL6DeRQ5MZ0V-30MlVGqjMu5chd2Oa3ibdO8gFM1jYK-MTLoIEtH3bQxRyJDLaLW1VB6b4R9TEHx6h8_n-cA&_sg%5B1%5D=9Ll7CehkTc2qnpHYPhwAH-vo7bCGM069uK8X3mA0CS621ITbLGoLbtmJUtaWo4jrTXzL1c0.Y5A8u-HEwpDtihk2ZB8aTEGkGYL5B7I9wDYOAiTG4vbtOwExr3ixlBDzbE0cDC86BD7JEuVhpMbAWjFF9yKESQ


    

 American Journal of Medical and Physical Education 

Vol.9, Issue 3; May-June 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0524 

Impact Factor: 6.14 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

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Gul (2020) revealed that in the 21st century there's a distraction at our fingertips like nothing ever experienced 

by previous generations. The scholar also asked a question thus: “How many of us could honestly say that we 

spend every moment of our working hours industriously involved in some work-related activity? This question 

becomes relevant because, we usually have brief chats with friends and relatives, quick phone calls to fix one 

appointment or the other, or engage on social media activities. We often engage in online activities, such as, 

texting messages, shopping, reading news, talking to friends & relatives, checking our bank accounts, watching 

television or videos, pornographic pictures/videos, and the rest at the click of the mouse and a tap at the keyboard, 

and with our eyes glued to the mobile deice screens (Gul, 2020). According to the scholar, to the less keen 

observer, we might even appear to be beavering (working) away at some professional tasks. It seems that hundreds 

of millions of us are regularly giving in to this irresistible temptation, Gul (2020) affirmed. These, according to 

the scholar, we all take this kind of liberty from time to time, and usually without consequences.    

The 21st Century has been demarcated as a different world from all others because many things are perceived and 

done differently. The dawn of the Internet has given birth to several digital terms, such as Cyberloafing, 

Cyberslacking, Cybersecurity, Cybercrime, Cyberbullying, Virtual learning, Virtual workmanship, and the rest 

of the Cybers’ and Virtuals’. Similarly, all types of digital devices have been produced to conform with the digital 

age. Additionally, every aspects of human activities have become digitalized, which makes us glue our eyes to all 

forms of digital devices, such as computers, mobile phones, and digital screens to cope with the digital world.  

Li Q, Xia B, Zhang H, Wang W and Wang X (2022) assert that with the gradual penetration of network media 

into various fields of peoples’ lives, the relationship between network behavior and the sense of meaning of life 

is bound to be closer and closer. Our interest in this this paper is on the term, “Cyberloafing”. Researchers have 

developed widespread interest on cyberloafing because it is said to have cost businesses worldwide billions of 

naira annually. The researchers believe that cyberloafing is a problematic behavior of network use (Kim and Byrn, 

2011), and it has become a prevailing topic in the field of psychological research.  

Khansa, Barkhi, Ray & Davis (2018) opined that academic literature has demonstrated both the prevalence and 

severity of cyberloafing at workplaces. Hence, Udemy (2018) revealed the adverse effects of employees’ 

cyberloafing in work-related places by reporting that 62% of employees wasted about 60 minutes of worktime, 

per day, through personal phone use alone. Conner (2015) also asserts that employees’ cyberloafing have hit an 

alarming critical stage. Therefore, the interest of this paper is to explain to readers the meaning of cyberloafing, 

its effects in workplaces, the causes and suggestions that will reduce the incidents. The authors believe that this 

paper will add to the existing literature on this topic and will as well be of immense benefits to the most 

organizations’ that intends to achieve maximally.  

Review of Related Literature  

Concept of Cyberloafing 

The term cyberloafing, according to Gul (2020) first emerged during the mid-90s among a proliferation of words 

created by productive use of the prefix “cyber” to describe things relating to computers or the Internet, (i.e., 

cybercafé, cyberspace, etc.). loaf mean to loiter or malinger. When organization’s internet facilities, or other 

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 American Journal of Medical and Physical Education 

Vol.9, Issue 3; May-June 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0524 

Impact Factor: 6.14 

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3 | American Journal of Medical and Physical Education 
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resources are used for entertainment or engage in any other personal gains, it is referred to as cyberloafing 

behavior; though this Behaviour could not be termed criminal, but violates organizational regulation (Kenton, 

2023). 

Cyberloafing has become more prevalent in recent times with the presence of internet-connected computers and 

devices becoming a necessity for the normal functioning of most businesses today (Kenton, 2023). The scholar 

further expressed that as most businesses require the Internet for communications and transactions, it will be 

difficult to tell when someone is cyberloafing instead of carrying out the official tasks they are being paid for. In 

most cases, the employees prefer surfing the net instead of performing the official job assigned to them.  

An employee, as Kenton (2023) observed, may use their official time to scroll through social networking sites, 

such as the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or simply browse news and content on sites unrelated to their work. 

Others include online gambling, playing games, checking email, and browsing pornographic sites. Controlling 

cyberloafing usage of these IT devices and the above Internet related sites becomes very difficult since many 

companies use social networking sites for marketing channels and also requires employees to be up-to-date on 

trends and news, classifying these activities as either work or cyberloafing becomes very challenging (Kenton, 

2023).  

There is no unique or one size fits all definition of Cyberloafing, which is generally referred to as non-work-

related Internet use in organizations. However, there are variety of approaches and definitions for non-work-

related Internet use in organizations. Different approaches by professionals in the filed have resulted in a broad 

and inconsistent use of terminology, definitions, and labels, as observed by Weatherbee (2010). Countless 

concepts and terms have been used to describe the phenomenon. The following terms or concepts have been used 

thus: internet dependency internet deviance, on-line loafing, problematic internet use, cyberslacking, non-work 

related computing, cyberloafing, cyberbludging, personal web usage at work, internet abuse, internet addiction 

and internet addiction disorder (Kim & Bryne, 2011) as cited in Ozler, E. E. & Polat, G. (2012). 

Rehan (2023) described “Cyberloafing” simple as when an employee is using the internet connection at the 

workplace for reasons other than work. According to Kenton (2023), it is an update of the term "Goldbricking", 

which referred to employees who tried to look busy while doing less work than they were truly capable of. 

Cyberloafing has been defined by Lord (2023) as employees becoming distracted by technology in the workplace, 

usually due to personal, non-work-related Internet usage. Making personal use of the Internet during working 

hours is now a commonplace activity, and it's known as cyberloafing. Cyberloafing occurs when an employee 

uses the organization’s IT facilities (Network/Internet) to engage in personal tasks or entertainment (Kenton, 

2023). Kawamoto (2020) conceptualized it as when employees use their work time to engage in non-work-related 

internet activities from checking social media and personal email to web browsing and more.  

Pindek, Krajcevska & Spector (2018) defined cyberloafing as when employees engage in technologically-

mediated malingering behaviours instead of work-related behaviors. Cyberloafing occurs when employees use 

technology to loaf instead of work (Giordano & Mercado, 2023). Cyberloafing was originally used to describe 

the phenomenon that employees use the network tools provided by the organization to browse non-work-related 

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 American Journal of Medical and Physical Education 

Vol.9, Issue 3; May-June 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0524 

Impact Factor: 6.14 

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websites, sending and receiving personal e-mails, which has an impact on job performance during working hours 

(Li, Xia, Zhang, Wang & Wang, 2022). 

Furthermore, Kawamoto (2022) defined cyberloafing as term to describe employees who use work time to engage 

in non-work-related activities on the internet, such as web browsing, using social media, or checking and 

responding to personal email. In an organization or company, as observed by Lord (2023), some employees that 

use computers and smartphones could use company’s time and equipment for personal online shopping, playing 

games, accessing inappropriate videos, or using social media websites to communicate with friends. This they do 

by sending text messages to friends and relatives, checking personal emails, and visiting social media sites at the 

expense of their official jobs. Finally, Coker, 2011 and Ugrin & Pearson, 2013 have simply defined cyberloafing 

as the unauthorized use of the Internet for non-work or personal activities during work time. 

In totality, there are common observations noticed in all the definitions above. They are as follows: 

1. Technology is involved (Internet/Network or Mobile phones) 

2. An employee (a person) 

3. Work-related (in organization or company) 

4. Time (mismanagement) 

5. Behaviours (malingering) 

6. Performance (the record of outcomes produced by a specified job function or activity during a specified time 

period, which is associated with quantity of output, quality of output, timeliness of output, presence/ attendance 

on the job, and efficiency of the work completed and effectiveness of work accomplished (Mathis & Jackson, 

2009). 

Determinant for Cyberloafing in Workplaces 

While cyberloafing is seen by many as a bad thing or habit (Kawamoto, 2020) in which employees use company’s 

IT infrastructures and time for frivolous or perky activities, there are still valid concerns about cyberloafing in 

workplaces. There is more understanding that an employee may need personal breaks throughout the day that can 

be facilitated through mindless browsing or carrying out specific personal tasks while still on the company 

network (Kenton, 2023).  

According to Kawamoto (2020), Mason, a Ph.D. candidate at Aston University, researching on the use of 

cyberloafing as a coping mechanism reported that loneliness and workplace ostracism (isolation) can prompt 

some employees to turn to social media to offset the lack of interaction with co-workers and others. The candidate 

further stressed that the employees concerned may find the emotional support they need to power through the rest 

of the day via social media. 

Cyberloafing is said to address burnout in workplaces. According to a study titled “Unraveling Cyberloafing 

Paradox: Towards a Targeted Approach for Managing Cyberloafing”, it has been revealed that some workers may 

turn to cyberloafing to relieve stress on the job by browsing the internet as a coping mechanism (Kawamoto, 

2020) An obvious example of this is when the employees do this by spending most of their official time browsing 

the internet via their phones, emailing friends and relatives, and looking at social media when they are supposed 

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https://builtin.com/authors/dawn-kawamoto
https://www.aston.ac.uk/
https://builtin.com/people-management/burnout-symptoms
https://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1353&context=amcis2022
https://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1353&context=amcis2022
https://builtin.com/career-development/burnout-and-balance-advice-column
https://builtin.com/people-management/mental-health-stigma


    

 American Journal of Medical and Physical Education 

Vol.9, Issue 3; May-June 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0524 

Impact Factor: 6.14 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

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to be working on a report (Kawamoto, 2020). In summary, Kawamoto (2020) and Rehan (2023) have listed the 

following as some of major causes of cyberloafing in workplaces thus: 

1. Stress/Burnout: There is an axiom which says, “Work no play makes Jack a dull boy”. When employees 

are burnout, they tend to have rest. Employees are using cyberloafing as a release valve for their stress, whether 

it’s from feeling burned out or because of workplace aggression from others, Mason said. Some employees find 

their rest on the Internet, hence, they cyber-loaf. It can provide a mental distraction that can help employees jump 

back into work once their cyberloafing break is over. It can momentarily offset workplace boredom, allowing 

employees to take a mental break from their tasks and return refreshed. 

2. Loneliness and workplace ostracism (“exclusion from society or group”). The scholars noted that 

employees seek refuge on the internet and social media sites when they feel excluded and lonely at work from 

their team members or peers. 

3. Non-challenging or not too difficult tasks have also given rise to cyberloafing. It has been affirmed that if 

employees are given tasks or role that are not challenging enough for them, there is a possibility that they will 

push away the tasks to complete for a later time and end up spending half of the work hours on non-work-related 

internet activities. 

4. Call it competitive or difficult tasks, these tasks need lots of mental input to perform. It has been proven 

that the employees taking short bouts of breaks has shown an increase in the productivity levels after reducing 

burnout or stress. 

5. Employer policies that allowing workers to bring their own electronic devices, such as 

smartphones, tablets or even laptops, into the workplace can also contribute to cyberloafing.  

6. Employees who lack adequate resources at work, such as an ergonomic office chair, may jump on the 

internet to learn of alternative resources they could use, like browsing for one. That internet activity, however, is 

considered a form of cyberloafing since it is not directly involved with the task at hand and is considered 

developing new non-work-related skills or abilities while on the job. 

7. Boredom is yet another reason for cyberloafing. Frequently, employees experience tediousness for 

performing the same task over and over again.  Performing the same mundane activities at work can cause 

employee to look up to doing anything apart from work to keep them occupied. Rehan (2023) stated that naturally, 

diverting focus to something entertaining is a natural response to boredom. 

8. Internet addiction is yet another reason for the rise of the cyberloafing. This act has been described as one 

of the biggest downside of the internet. Many people are today addicted to it because of the vast possibilities. 

Social media put lots of peer pressure on some employees, and to keep up with this, many of them tend to embrace 

the ‘reel’ life to gain satisfaction with others.  

9. Desire to find resources that make work and life better 

10. Upskilling is one of the causes of cyberloafing. There is no gainsaying that a sizeable number of employees 

now are enrolled in online lectures that are offered by top companies, such as, LinkedIn, Udemy, Coursera, and 

the rest; hence, there is room for cyberloafing among employees. 

mailto:topacademicjournals@gmail.com
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563218302048#:~:text=Cyberloafing%20as%20boredom%20coping,interesting%20(albeit%20personal)%20components.
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 American Journal of Medical and Physical Education 

Vol.9, Issue 3; May-June 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0524 

Impact Factor: 6.14 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

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6 | American Journal of Medical and Physical Education 
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11. Cyberloafing can occur when employees work overtime without compensation, when asked to do 

excessive amounts of work, or are exposed to conflicting demands, and when they perceived unfair treatment by 

their employer (e.g., unfair work outcomes, policies, or interpersonal interactions). 

(http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/industrial-organizational-psychology/organizational-behavior/cyberloafing-

at-work/) 

12. Cyberloafing occurs when an employee has exhausted a certain task given to him (Rerhan, 2023) 

13. With the hope of getting almost everything online has given rise to surf the net, be it socializing, finding 

new information, booking your travel, etc, thereby giving rise to cyberloafing  

Consequences of Cyberloafing on Organizations’ Productivity 

There is no doubt that the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus had made rapid shift in people's work routines, and 

organizations and employees have as well been forced to change from working in offices to working at homes 

due to workplace lockdowns and social distancing requirements (Zhong, 2022). In view of the above, more people 

become exposed to the internet and other electronic devices; employees would often read related news on websites 

via their smart phone and other electronic devices (Kim, Zhang, Foo,  Alvarez-Risco,  Del-Aguila-Arcentales, 

&  Yáñez (2021). 

Hence, more non-work-related internet use in work time, especially working from homes might impact 

employees' work (Syrek, Kühnel, Vahle-Hinz, & De Bloom, 2018), and the consequences of this shift, where 

managers or administrators have no close watch for employees have received increasing attention by scholars and 

professional in the field (Derks, Bakker & Gorgievski, 2021; Holland & Bardoel, 2016;  Sonnentag, Reinecke, 

Mata & Vorderer, 2018; Wu, Mei, Liu, & Ugrin, 2020a; 2020b). 

Kenton (2023) reminded us that when cyberloafing was at its initial stage, many employers began to fear about 

the negative of its impact on productivity, since less time is spent working and generating revenue for the 

company. Cyberloafing (technological distractions in the workplace) can negatively impact an organization's 

productivity. Olajide, Abdu & Abdul-qadir (2018) opined  

 

Other negative implications as noticed by the scholar are - inefficient use of network resources, increased risks of 

legal liabilities due to, or as a result of illegal downloading of software applications, and unlawful misconducts 

and network security breaches. There is no doubt that an employee might inadvertently download some illegal 

software or unknown attachments from harmful websites (virus infected sites), which most times can lead to 

security breaches, risking the company’s data or information.   

Cyberloafing results in waste of time and resources (Gökçearslan, Mumcu, Haşlaman & Çevik, 2016), and it 

seriously affects an organization's productivity and loss of revenue (Lord, 2023). Boxall & Macky, 2014) affirmed 

that Internet misuse can reduce employee productivity, that is, if an employee spends more time engaging on 

inappropriate activities on social media sites at the expense of their jobs, it means that the employer ultimately 

pays the employee to avoid work (Lord, 2023). Therefore, cyberslacking lead to financial loss to the organization 

(Askew, Buckner, Taing, Bauer & Coovert (2014). For instance, Saraç and Çiftçioğlu (2014) revealed that web 

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http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/industrial-organizational-psychology/organiza%20tional-behavior/cyberloafing-at-work/
http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/industrial-organizational-psychology/organiza%20tional-behavior/cyberloafing-at-work/
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 American Journal of Medical and Physical Education 

Vol.9, Issue 3; May-June 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0524 

Impact Factor: 6.14 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

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7 | American Journal of Medical and Physical Education 
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surfing costs U.S. employers more than $50 billion each year in lost productivity. In the same manner, Abbasi 

(2018) also revealed that productivity loss occurs in organizations that experience high levels of personal Internet 

use by employees on company time, which includes employees using smartphones to surf without needing the 

firm’s Internet connection 

Kenton (2023) observed that cyberloafing or cyberslacking can lower employee productivity and create 

vulnerabilities in a company's IT infrastructure depending on what the employee is doing on the sites they visit. 

The scholar further noticed that an employee switching between personal and professional tasks may take longer 

to focus back on their work. Furthermore, since the employees are surfing with company resources, many 

companies or organizations are afraid of their technological devices or infrastructures on the ground that the 

employees usually do not know the security level of the sites they visit; hence, the network systems may become 

vulnerable to malware and other intrusions (Kenton, 2023). If this happens, then, the company will definitely 

incur much financial lose.  

There is no doubt that when employees are monitored and they use the time they would have used for unrelated 

job activities that productivity improves. But this monitoring of employees also has its own downsides. It has 

been proved that the stress employees feel when being monitored can hurt their work performance (Georner, 

2019) 

One of the consequences of cyberloafing is that it makes the administration or management of the company 

or organization to be more expensive, because much money is spent hiring or purchasing monitoring 

surveillance computer programs. 

Another pitfall of the cyberloafing is that for the management to purchase monitoring surveillance computer 

programs, means that the management does no trust the employees. Therefore, there may be no effective 

cordial relationship between the employers and the employees. 

There is no doubt that when employees use the company’s internet facilities for personal use, there is the 

possibility of bandwidth loss by the company. In addition, it may be very difficult as well for any manager to 

differentiate between work-time and personal time for Internet-based tasks. For instance, employees may be 

requested to reply or respond to company’s e-mails, but instead, they will use the same time to check their personal 

emails.  

Furthermore, a lot of time is wasted when employees use the company’s time for personal activities. This has 

been affirmed by Karaoğlan Yılmaz, Yılmaz, Öztürk, Sezer, and Karademir (2015); they confirmed that using 

smartphone technology during work time for personal purposes affects work productivity and wastes work time. 

Piscotty, Martindell & Karim (2016) opined that the cyberloafing phenomenon has penetrated into the health care 

sector with respect to nurses using smartphones for personal purposes, thereby causing patient care interruptions, 

contributing to possible errors, and violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, especially 

when they answered personal calls during a work shift.  

Positive Effects of Cyberloafing 

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Zhong, Chen, Yan & Luo (2021) hypothesized that cyberloafing has both negative and positive effects on 

employees' innovation performance. In the same manner, Kim & Christensen, 2017; Wu et al., 2020a affirmed 

that cyberloafing is a mixed blessing because it leads not only to resource depletion but also resource recovery. 

Research shows that cyberloafing helps employees that stay long working hours on a particular task by providing 

them an enjoyable break, thereby helping to overcome monotony in task and changes psychological mood and 

reduces stress. This is in tune with findings of Oravec (2002) and Eastin, Glynn and Griffiths (2007) that indicate 

that Cyberloafing activities helps in overcoming monotony in tasks, changes psychological mood and reduces 

stress. Therefore, if employees utilized their leisure time at work like break time in loafing, this may not have 

much impact on the task performance of the employees (Olajide, Abdu, & Abdul-qadir, 2018). 

Zhong (2022) revealed that cyberloafing can yield unexpected benefits because it helps employees recover or 

supplement resources through temporary detachment from work. The scholar emphasized that by offering micro-

breaks, cyberloafing allows employees to cope with work stress; for instance (job burnout (Aghaz, & Sheikh, 

2016); workplace ostracism (Koay, 2018); workplace boredom (Pindek et al., 2018); work aggression (Andel, 

Kessler, Pindek, Kleinman, & Spector, 2019), enhance work engagement (Syrek, Kühnel,  Vahle-Hinz,  & De 

Bloom, 2018). and improve mental health (Wu, Mei, Liu & Wang, 2020a).  

Coker (2011) and Paulsen (2013) affirmed that some researchers are in agreement that cyberloafing acts as a 

break for employees’ brains from busy workday routines and may increase employee productivity. 

Cyberloafing Counter-measures in Workplaces 

Recent studies have shown that technology distracts many employees in workplaces. Most of us scroll on social 

media or respond to personal emails during working hours without knowing that we are practicing 

“Cyberloafing”. This is highly experienced in several companies or corporations. Firstly, if a paid employee is 

distracted by technology in the workplace for several hours a week or month, this reduces the employee’s 

productivity for the organization/company. Hence, there is a need for companies, organizations, or parastatals to 

take adequate measures to checkmate this act, which most times are committed on hourly bases in various 

workplaces.  

Lord (2023), however, conceptualized cyberslacking/cyberloafing countermeasures as specific tools and policies 

that deter employees from wasting organization time, equipment, or other resources due to technological 

distractions. It is usually very difficult to checkmate someone on the Internet, also takes lots of money to apply 

adequate counter measures to such an act, especially in a situation where the employees need to use company 

computers and Internet access to perform their assigned tasks, such as interacting with customers through social 

media sites, and accessing vendor websites to purchase supplies for the business. Kenton (2023) revealed that 

some companies have gone to great lengths to eliminate cyberloafing because of the perceived high costs 

associated with it. Now, how do organizations effectively manage cyberloafing?  

Many researchers are of the view that cyberloafing reduces productivity within the workplace and should 

therefore, be discouraged or eliminated (Mason, 2022). Nonetheless, Lord (2023) suggested that in organizations 

in which cyberslacking involves web browsing on company’s computers, firewalls (web security systems), and 

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website monitoring could be installed to monitor what employees do during worktime. Alternately, the scholar 

further stressed that a blocking software could also be installed on each employee’s computer to prevent the 

practice of cyberloafing. Again, on extreme cases, an employee may not be allowed to use mobile technologies 

during worktimes in order not to be distracted for efficient work performance. 

These measures will enable companies to monitor the web browsing habits of their employees in the workplace 

via special software that provides statistics about which websites are accessed at work, who accessed them and 

for what length of time. Additionally, some organizations may use software tools which blocks access to a list of 

unapproved websites in the workplace. (Because content on the Internet changes so rapidly, the list of blocked 

websites should be regularly reviewed and updated). As an additional measurer, the employee is expected to put 

additional work hours to compensate for the time wasted during the official working periods, which is the cause 

of reduction of employees productively. The measure will enable workers to concentrate on their work, once they 

know that they will definitely compensate for hours lost for cyberloafing. 

Another measure is to terminate the contract of the employees once ascertained that they are involved in 

cyberloafing during official work hours. Again, the salary of the employee could also be deducted for the period 

the employee cyber-loafed. Some companies address cyberloafing through robust monitoring and enforcement. 

As views continue to evolve on our personal and professional relationship with the internet, many companies 

have instead sought to emphasize responsible and reasonable internet usage (Kenton, 2023). In respect of the 

countermeasures, Kenton (2023) suggests purchasing software or subscribing to platforms that allow all the 

internet traffic to be tracked and restrict access to sites that are not deemed valid for work. Again, the scholar 

stressed that more advanced employee tracking software can actively log screenshots of activity on company 

owned devices at regular intervals in addition to reporting keyboard and mouse activities.  

Many firms, according to Kenton, (2023) have instead tried to foster a culture of reasonable and responsible 

internet usage while at work; a modern internet usage policy or code of conduct will allow for personal use as 

long as it does not put the network in danger, does not affect the employee's overall performance, and does not as 

well involve inappropriate content. 

In a nutshell, Kawamoto (2020) and other professionals in the field have outlined major countermeasures to 

minimize the incidence of cyberloafing in workplaces. They are: -  

1. Set expectations on when non-work-related internet activities are allowed, and on which devices. As 

Kawamoto (2020) and Goerner (2019)  p u t  i t ,  b y making explicitly policies, organizations will prohibit 

personal use of the Internet on company time and property. Hence, employees need precise guidance to know 

what they can and cannot do during work hours.   

2. Employers may allow employees to take “group” social media breaks for 30 minutes or so to interact 

online and check their personal e-mail once or twice a day (Goerner, 2019) t o  reduce their emotional or physical 

discomforts. This method will allow employees to focus on their jobs, knowing that there is time for 

everything, and any deviation will attract query or punishment.  

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3. Organizations may clearly prohibit the employees from visiting some social websites during working 

hours; or cyberloafing could be reduce with explicit or realistic policy prohibiting personal use of the Internet 

on company time and property (G o e r n e r , 2 019 .  

4. Identify triggers for employees who might be engaging in non-work-related internet activities to reduce 

emotional or physical issues. 

5. Have open conversations with employees to understand why they may be resorting to cyberloafing. 

6. Managers need to understand why someone might go to their phone or use the internet during a time they 

should be productive at work. Hence, there is need for open communication between employers and employees 

to understand why they are doing what they are not supposed to do during worktime. 

7. The organizations’ rewards mechanism serves to encourage employees to do better and be responsible 

during working hours and by continuing to receive their managers’ Praise; this is the view of Al Abbasi (2018) 

because employees.  

8. In addition to Kawamoto (2020), Kawamoto (2020) Goerner, 2019; Olajide et al (2018) suggested that 

organizations can use internet surveillance programs and put in place explicit policies and sanctions tailored to 

control internet usage in the workplace. This monitoring strategy will either restrict employees’ online access or 

monitor their activities. According to Goerner (2019), a Keylogger can record every keystroke, website, email, 

password, and application run on a computer. This is done with believe they’re managing risk, making sure 

employees don’t share private data or mistreat customers. Also, “SoftActivity monitor” program gives 

manager/administrators easy-to-read data on what employees do online, both at work and whenever they’re using 

company-owned devices (Goerner, 2019). 

9. Olajide et al (2018) further suggests that managers may also benefit if they hire employees that are less 

prone to engage in cyberloafing behaviours since several human behavioural traits have been identified to 

contribute to cyberloafing behaviours.  

10. It is necessary that organizations consider hiring staff with high levels of conscientiousness since 

Blanchard reported that higher levels of conscientiousness can limit cyberloafing behaviours (Olajide et al, 2018). 

11. Companies could address cyberslacking through robust monitoring and enforcement (Kenton, 2023). 

12. Organizational norms and policies should be used to discourage cyberloafing (Kenton, 2023). 

13. Organizations or companies could have a policy that restrains employees from having their phones 

with them while on the job? After all players or sportspersons do away their cell phones during practice.  

14. To reduce the effects of cyberloafing in an organization, the management of organizations or 

companies should Provide meaningful work, make sure that employees’ jobs are engaging and as well 

interesting, because the individuals who find that their work matters, engaging and interesting are usually 

more diligent and productive (Georner, 2019).  

15. Researchers have also suggested that self-control as one of the measures to reduce the incidence of 

cyberloafing in workplaces. They revealed that employees with weak self-control easily engage in cyberloafing, 

particularly when the opportunity comes to do so, whereas individuals with strong self-control tend not to practice 

cyberloafing, even if given the opportunity (Inzlicht & Schmeichel, 2012; Wagner, Barnes, Lim & Ferris (2012).  

16. Next to self-control is self-regulation, which, according to Inzlicht & Schmeichel (2012) refers to the 

individual thoughts and feelings that lead people to practice something over time. Past studies revealed that failure 

in self-regulation leads individuals to increase their use of social media and be at risk for addictions, such as 

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smartphone addiction (Jeong, Kim, Yum, & Hwang, 2016). Cheng, Li, Zhai & Smyth (2014) opined that once an 

employee self-regulates itself, that there I possibility of staying on task. 

17. Added to the above is the issue of the work environment. It has been agreed by scholars (Karimi, Gilbreath, 

Kim & Grawitch, 2014) that an open-office design, and the supervisor’s proximity to the employees may represent 

a threat to continuing undesirable behavior, such as cyberloafing within the organization, which makes them feel 

exposed to their supervisors.  

1. Added to self-control and self-regulation is “Self-esteem”, which, according to Cheng et al (2014) includes 

self-acceptance, self-liking, and self-respect. Gökçearslan, Mumcu, Haşlaman & Çevik (2016) is of the opinion 

that an employee with a positive self-concept, strong self-control and self-regulation, and high levels of esteem 

perform their jobs more effectively because they have a positive view and strong motivation, thereby reduces the 

prevalence of cyberloafing in workplace. 

Conclusion 

The use of new technologies has led to an unprecedented massive and rapid shift in people’s work routines, as 

many people use these technologies to while away valuable time “Cyberloafing”, instead of concentrating on the 

task they are supposed to perform (Zhong, Chen, Yan & lou, 2020) This paper really reviewed pertinent literatures 

on “Cyberloafing”, as practiced in today’s world. The papers revised show that cyberloafing is a dangerous 

phenomenon that has come to stay, and must be fought by all means to enhance productivity in workplaces. Al 

Abbasi, 2018; Li, Xia, Zhang, Wang & Wang, 2022; Kenton, 2023; Kawamoto, 2020; Goerner, 2019;  and  

Olajide et al, 2018 have suggested appropriate hardware (camera) and/or software (computer or mobile tracking) 

as forms of monitoring technology measures to supervise and restrict employees’ Internet use and provide them 

with corresponding guidance. This is in line with the ideas or suggestions of Li et al (2022) on college students. 

Smartphone addiction has come to stay, and will continue to cause many serious problems in all aspects of human 

activities, therefor, employers should adopt the rewards mechanism, which encourages employees to do better 

and be responsible during work hours so that they comply with organization policy and work hard to achieve this 

goal (Al Abbasi, 2018). 

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