Investigating the Relationship between Mindfulness and Cyber Loafing: The Mediating Effect of Cognitive Appraisal at Workplace

The research question explored in this study is how mindfulness is linked to cyberloafing behavior at work under the mediating role of cognitive appraisal. Based on self-regulation theory and cognitive appraisal theory, the study seeks to comprehend the role of mindfulness as a psychological attributor in employee engagement of cyberloafing behaviour (i.e., non-work-related internet browsing during working hours). The cross-sectional survey design was used, and the data were obtained from individuals employed in the retail industry of Pakistan (N= 250). SPSS and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed for data analysis. The results showed that mindfulness has a great adverse effect on cyberloafing behavior. Also, this relationship is partly mediated by cognitive appraisal in terms of perceived challenges and threats. This research paper adds to the literature on growing body of work on workplace behavior by identifying the psychological processes that interrelate mindfulness with self-regulatory consequences.