Relationship between Loneliness in the Workplace and Deviant Work Behaviors: Evidence from a Thai Government Bank
Abstract
As the banking industry is currently being challenged by many external forces, which requires a massive change in all areas, acknowledging key factors that influence its operation system is very important and valuable for the banks, especially a government bank. As a government bank operates under an uncertainty of changing environment and the government control, placing more emphasis on components that can cause organizational failure is essential for survival. Workplace loneliness and deviance are perceived as critical factors that have an impact on both individual and organizational productivity and effectiveness. Although workplace loneliness and deviance have increasingly become an interesting topic in a management field in the past years, no study has attempted to explore the direct relationship between loneliness at work and deviant workplace behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of this present study is to examine the relationship between loneliness in the workplace and deviant work behaviors of employees at Thai government bank. Data were gathered from 143 employees of Thai government bank headquarters through a questionnaire. The results found an intermediate positive correlation between loneliness at work and deviant work behavior (r = .495, p < .01). The results of linear regression analysis indicated that loneliness at work could explain 25% of variance to deviant work behavior (R2 = .245, F (1, 143) = 45.839, p <.01). In sum, the more government bank’s employees felt loneliness at work, the more likely they engaged in deviant work behaviors. Limitations and recommendations for further studies were also discussed.
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