Validating Cyberloafing Antecedents: An Exploratory Factor Analysis Among Malaysian Employees

Cyberloafing, or the use of the internet by employees for personal purposes during working hours, has become a growing concern for organizations seeking to manage productivity and information security. While prior research has identified multiple antecedents of cyberloafing, including job-related stressors and workplace dynamics, there remains a need to validated measurement instruments to assess these constructs reliably. This study reports the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) conducted as part of the initial validation of a new cyberloafing antecedents scale among Malaysian employees. Using pilot data collected from 132 respondents, principal axis factoring with varimax rotation was employed to examine the factor structure. The results supported a multi-dimensional structure, with clear loadings on workplace ostracism, role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload factors. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure verified sampling adequacy, and Bartlett’s test of sphericity confirmed factorability. All extracted factors demonstrated satisfactory reliability, with Cronbach’s Alpha values exceeding 0.70. The findings provide preliminary evidence for the construct validity and internal consistency of the proposed scale, contributing to the development of robust measurement tools for cyberloafing research. This study offers a foundation for future confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural model testing in diverse organizational settings.