STAYING WIRED ON THE JOB : THE EFFECT OF SLEEP, JOB DEMANDS AND JOB CONTROL ON CYBERLOAFING

Abstract

Singaporeans work long hours (Hill, 2007), sleep little and badly (Tsoi and Tay, 1987), and spend a lot of time on the Internet (Radwicke, 2009). In this study, the sleep habits of Singaporeans are examined, and Karasek‘s Demand-Control model of work stress (1979, 1985) used to shed light on workplace behaviours such as cyberloafing. Cyberloafing, or non-productive Internet use at work, is proposed to be an easy access withdrawal mechanism from job stressors, as Singaporeans are particularly plugged in. Job demands and job control are hypothesised to affect sleep, which in turn is positively related to personal Internet use at the workplace. In addition, it is proposed that sleep quality and quantity may mediate the relationship between job demands, job control, and cyberloafing. Data were collected via questionnaire surveys. Respondents were comprised of executives and professionals in several organisations in several different industries. The test of mediation proposed by Baron and Kenny (1986) was used to evaluate the directionality of the proposed relationships. The results of this study indicate that the Demand-Control Model is highly applicable to cyberloafing, sleep quality, and sleep quantity in Singapore.