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How and when work-related ICT use after hours leads to employee unethical pro-family behavior: A moderated mediation model

Zhe Zhang & Xintong Ji

Work2026https://doi.org/10.1177/10519815261435982article
AJG 1
Weight
0.50

What the paper says

BackgroundWork-related information and communication technology use after hours (WICT) increasingly blurs work and family boundaries. Excessive WICT can lead to unintended consequences.ObjectiveBased on affective events theory (AET), we aim to explore how and when WICT leads to employees' unethical pro-family behaviors (UPFB).MethodsWe employ a mixed-method approach to examine hypotheses, including an experimental study using a facial expression recognition software, Noldus FaceReader 5.0 (Study 1, N = 119 students), and a weekly diary study (Study 2, N = 83 full-time teachers).ResultsResults show that WICT positively relates to employees' UPFB through the mediating roles of work-to-family guilt and work-to-family resentment. Moreover, polychronic orientation can weaken these negative reactions toward WICT.ConclusionsOrganizations should reduce unnecessary demands for employees' WICT and avoid assigning positions with high WICT requirements to employees with low polychronic orientation.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/10519815261435982

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@article{zhe2026,
  title        = {{How and when work-related ICT use after hours leads to employee unethical pro-family behavior: A moderated mediation model}},
  author       = {Zhe Zhang & Xintong Ji},
  journal      = {Work},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/10519815261435982},
}

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.