Explaining cyberloafing: The role of the theory of planned behavior

•Examined the validity of the Theory of Planned Behavior as a model of cyberloafing.•Across two studies, all hypotheses from the main TPB model were supported.•The 3 predictors accounted for 32% and 37% of the variance in CL in two studies.

The Internet enables employees to be more productive than ever before, but it also allows employees a new way to escape from work—cyberloafing. In our investigation, we test the validity of the Theory of Planned Behavior as a model of cyberloafing. In Study 1, the goal is to provide an initial test of the theory. In Study 2, we cross-validate the results from Study 1 in a sample that approaches representing the general working population. Results unanimously support the main TPB model, the model accounting for 32% and 37% of the variance in cyberloafing in Studies 1 and 2, respectively. The discussion addresses both the theoretical impact and practical implications of our work.