How developmental feedback from supervisors affects employees’ procrastination behavior

Purpose Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study examines whether and how supervisor developmental feedback reduces employees’ work procrastination behavior through affective rumination and problem-solving pondering, and whether future time perspective shapes these relationships. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 311 full-time employees using a two-wave survey design with a two-week interval. Hierarchical regression and bootstrapping analyses were conducted to test the hypothesized mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation effects. Findings Supervisor developmental feedback was negatively related to employees’ work procrastination behavior. Affective rumination and problem-solving pondering mediated this relationship, indicating that developmental feedback reduced procrastination by decreasing maladaptive emotional carryover and increasing constructive cognitive processing. Future time perspective positively moderated the relationship between supervisor developmental feedback and problem-solving pondering, as well as the indirect effect of supervisor developmental feedback on work procrastination through problem-solving pondering. However, the moderating effect of future time perspective on affective rumination was not significant. Originality/value This study extends research on work procrastination by identifying supervisor developmental feedback as an important contextual antecedent and by revealing a dual emotional-cognitive mechanism linking developmental feedback to procrastination behavior. It also highlights future time perspective as a key boundary condition shaping employees’ constructive responses to developmental feedback.