Abstract:
Recognising the indisputable negative repercussions of poor sleep quality on individual
well-being and behaviour, researchers are becoming increasingly interested in the potential
organisational consequences of the present ‘sleeplessness epidemic’. Nonetheless, our
knowledge on the potential organisational consequences of poor sleep is limited. As such, we
advance this field by examining the relationship between sleep and counterproductive work
behaviours (CWB). Adopting a social exchange perspective, this paper proposes that poor
sleep quality may negatively impact employee perceptions of interpersonal justice, and
subsequently, increase engagement in CWB towards both the organisation and individuals.
We also consider the moderating roles of individual differences: neuroticism and
dispositional mindfulness in the sleep-justice-CWB relationships. We tested our research
model with a sample of 156 employees using a daily diary design over the course of a
five-day working week. Results demonstrated that sleep quality the night before is
significantly and negatively related to CWB towards individuals the following day. However,
interpersonal justice did not significantly mediate this relationship; neither neuroticism nor
dispositional mindfulness moderate the sleep-justice-CWB relationships. This paper makes
important theoretical contributions by offering additional insights into the daily relationship
between sleep and employee behaviour.