Workplace Procrastination as a Form of Resistance to Socio-Economic Challenges: Evidence from SMEs’ Human Resource Management

Workplace procrastination represents a significant socio-economic challenge that undermines organisational productivity and performance, particularly in contexts marked by economic pressure and continuous change. Beyond being an individual dysfunctional behaviour, procrastination can be understood as a form of resistance through which employees respond to socio-economic constraints, managerial practices, and organisational transformations. In this context, organisations seek to enhance productivity and performance through effective human resource management grounded in fairness, loyalty, and transparency. However, behaviours such as procrastination, absenteeism, presenteeism, and resistance to change continue to hinder the achievement of strategy objectives. Indeed, procrastination reflects a deliberate delay in task completion despite awareness of potential negative consequences and may function as a coping or resistance mechanism in demanding work environments. This paper aims to provide an in-depth understanding of workplace procrastination by examining it through the lens of resistance to socio-economic challenges within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study was conducted using a survey of 254 employees from 25 SMEs across the Wilaya of Oran. The results indicate that workplace procrastination is embedded in organisational and broader cultural dynamics and negatively influences organisational climate and SME performance. These findings suggest that workplace procrastination functions as a form of resistance to prevailing socio-economic and organisational pressures.