As organizations become increasingly dependent on digital technology, internet access has become essential for communication, collaboration, and daily operations. However, the same technology also creates opportunities for employees to use company internet resources for personal purposes during working hours. Activities such as browsing social media, reading online news, watching videos, shopping online, or sending personal messages are commonly categorized as cyberloafing.
Although some researchers suggest that brief online breaks may reduce boredom and stimulate creativity, excessive cyberloafing can decrease concentration, reduce productivity, and negatively affect organizational performance. The findings from the Universitas Islam Indonesia research provide new evidence that workplace stress is one of the strongest drivers behind this behavior.
High-Pressure R&D Environment Motivated the Study
The research focused on employees in the Research and Development (R&D) Department of PT Kalbe Farma Tbk, one of Indonesia’s largest pharmaceutical companies. Employees in this division face demanding responsibilities, including meeting strict deadlines, maintaining scientific accuracy, and producing continuous innovation.
According to Hasan and Suratman, these demanding working conditions make R&D employees particularly vulnerable to psychological stress, making the department an appropriate setting for examining how workload and workplace conditions influence cyberloafing.
Survey of 150 Employees
The researchers collected primary data from 150 permanent employees in PT Kalbe Farma’s R&D Department who had worked for at least one year. Information was gathered through structured questionnaires and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS), allowing the researchers to evaluate both direct and indirect relationships among workload, work environment, job stress, and cyberloafing.
Rather than examining cyberloafing alone, the study investigated whether job stress serves as an intervening factor that explains why workplace pressures encourage employees to spend working hours on non-work-related internet activities.
Key Findings
The study confirmed all proposed hypotheses and identified several important relationships:
- Higher workload increases cyberloafing behavior. Employees experiencing heavier workloads are more likely to seek temporary relief by browsing the internet for personal purposes.
- Work environment has a significant influence on cyberloafing. Less supportive workplace conditions—including stressful atmospheres, weak interpersonal relationships, and limited social support—encourage employees to engage in online distractions.
- Workload significantly raises job stress. Tight deadlines, demanding assignments, and high performance expectations contribute to psychological strain.
- Poor workplace conditions also increase job stress. Uncomfortable work environments and ineffective workplace relationships make employees more vulnerable to emotional fatigue.
- Job stress directly increases cyberloafing. Employees experiencing higher stress levels tend to use personal internet activities as a coping mechanism.
- Job stress mediates the effects of both workload and work environment on cyberloafing. This means workplace pressures do not only influence cyberloafing directly but also indirectly by increasing employees’ stress levels.
Among the direct effects examined, the work environment showed the strongest influence on cyberloafing, suggesting that organizational climate plays a particularly important role in shaping employee behavior.
Why the Findings Matter
The findings suggest that monitoring employees’ internet usage alone is unlikely to eliminate cyberloafing. Instead, organizations should address the workplace conditions that encourage employees to seek temporary escape from work-related pressure.
The researchers recommend several practical strategies for employers:
- Distribute workloads more proportionally according to employee capacity.
- Improve communication between supervisors and employees.
- Create a supportive and psychologically healthy work environment.
- Strengthen teamwork and social support among colleagues.
- Implement stress-management initiatives, including counseling programs, stress-management training, and work–life balance policies.
These measures may reduce workplace stress while simultaneously improving employee engagement and organizational productivity.
Implications for Business and Human Resource Management
The study offers practical insights for business leaders, human resource professionals, and organizational policymakers. As hybrid work and digital technologies continue to reshape workplaces, cyberloafing has become a growing management challenge across many industries.
Rather than treating cyberloafing solely as employee misconduct, the research suggests it should also be viewed as a potential indicator of excessive workload, workplace discomfort, or unmanaged job stress.
Organizations that prioritize employee well-being may therefore reduce productivity losses more effectively than those relying only on internet restrictions or disciplinary policies.
Authors’ Perspective
Hasan and Suratman from the Universitas Islam Indonesia conclude that effective stress management is essential for reducing cyberloafing while maintaining productivity, particularly in high-pressure research environments. Their findings indicate that improving workload management and creating supportive workplace conditions can help employees remain focused without relying on personal internet use as a coping strategy.
Author Profiles
Muhammad Fathir Hasan is a researcher from the Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII), Sleman, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. His academic interests include human resource management, organizational behavior, job stress, and employee productivity.
Andriyastuti Suratman is an academic at the Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) whose expertise focuses on human resource management, organizational behavior, and organizational performance.
Source
Article Title: The Effect of Workload and Work Environment on Cyberloafing Behavior, with Work Stress as an Intervening Variable
Authors: Muhammad Fathir Hasan, Andriyastuti Suratman
Journal: Formosa Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (FJMR)
Publication Year: 2026
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