Antecedents and Outcomes of Technology-Driven Workplace Deviant Behaviors

Abstract Organizational research on employee deviant work behavior has not kept up with changes in the work environment. These two studies examined technology-based deviant workplace behaviors (TbDWB), defined as “an employee’s voluntarily using organizational technology to engage in behavior that violates significant organizational norms,” using a newly developed 18-item TbDWB measure. The 18-items are broken down into three related but distinct and reliable scales: Tb Time Abuse Deviance (3 items), Tb Communication Deviance (4 items), and Tb Production Deviance (11 items). Survey data were collected from 1,228 working adults in the United States, split into two independent studies ( n = 643 and n = 585). Hierarchical regression results across both studies showed that a return-to-office work policy, lower leader-member exchange, and higher perceived contract violation significantly explained each TbDWB scale beyond controlled for demographic and situational variables. Higher Tb Production Deviance consistently explained lower job satisfaction and higher turnover intentions beyond controlled for variables. Supporting prior research, higher perceived contract violation was also significantly related to higher turnover intentions, and leader member exchange was positively related to job satisfaction. The findings highlight the ethical and HR policy implications of digital-age deviance: organizations that foster employee perceived high-quality supervision and fulfilled obligations can observe lower TbDWB and better employee outcomes. We discuss how these insights can advance employee treatment in the modern workplace and inform managerial practices and legal/ethical compliance.