Technology Use for Nonwork Purposes at Work: A Behavior-Focused Integrative Review

Abstract

Technology use for nonwork-related purposes at work—defined as technology-facilitated behaviors primarily unrelated to job tasks that occur during working hours —is a prevalent phenomenon. However, the study of these behaviors is fragmented across three communities: counterproductive work behaviors (i.e., “cyberslacking”); recovery (i.e., “microbreaks”); and a descriptive category that equates behaviors with constructs (e.g., “social media use”). Our review of 135 studies reveals the same behaviors are studied across all three communities but with critical shortcomings: distinctive areas of focus within each community, including theoretical divides; overlapping conceptualizations with ambiguous measurements; insufficient consideration of nuances in use behaviors; and an underexplained parity of positive and negative effects on key work and nonwork outcomes. Given these shortcomings, we identify five review-driven themes centered around the emergence of a 2 × 2 framework that pinpoints concrete behaviors as ranging from passive to active (i.e., how much effort is associated with use) and intrapersonal to relational (i.e., how much interpersonal interaction is involved). Our framework provides guidance for future research and practice on how best to identify precise patterns and situations regarding when specific use behaviors occur and whether they result in positive or negative outcomes.