From integration to deviance: reconceptualizing nonwork behaviour at work

Purpose This study aims to reconceptualize nonwork behaviour at work by integrating a workplace deviance lens into boundary theory. The study positions nonwork activities during work hours as a self-regulation issue, examines trait self-control as an antecedent of work boundary permeability, investigates its effect on work engagement and tests technology addiction as a moderator and boundary condition within this process. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected in two waves from 267 full-time employees at an information technology firm and analyzed using structural equation modelling. Findings The findings revealed that individuals high in trait self-control are more effective at maintaining firm work boundaries, thereby reducing boundary permeability and enhancing work engagement. In addition, technology addiction intensified the negative relationship between work boundary permeability and work engagement, serving as a critical moderating factor. Research limitations/implications The study challenges preference-based boundary models by showing that work boundary permeability often reflects self-control failures rather than deliberate integration strategies. It bridges boundary, deviance and self-regulation literatures; highlights technology addiction as a key contingency; and encourages more contextualized, multi-level and multi-source research on nonwork behaviour at work and its outcomes. Practical implications Organizations should not assume that integration and flexibility are always empowering. Results suggest the need for structures that protect focused work (e.g. managing notifications and tech-use policies), interventions that teach self-control strategies and digital wellness initiatives targeting technology addiction. These efforts can reduce detrimental nonwork intrusions, sustain work engagement and better align flexibility practices with performance goals. Originality/value The article is novel in explicitly importing a deviance-based perspective into boundary management, reframing nonwork at work as a form of production deviance driven by self-regulatory challenges. It identifies trait self-control as a core antecedent, work boundary permeability as a mediator and technology addiction as a critical moderator, offering an integrated, contemporary framework for understanding nonwork behaviour in digitally intensive workplaces.