Helping the Organization but Harming Yourself: How and When Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior Increases Work-To-Family Conflict

Keywords: unethical pro-organizational behavior, ethics, anxiety, work-to-family conflict

Abstract: Whereas prior research has focused on the antecedents of unethical pro- organizational behavior (UPB)—unethical behavior intended to benefit the organization—the current research is among the first to investigate the consequences of UPB. Building on affective events theory, we develop and test a theoretical model of how engaging in UPB at work increases employees’ work-to-family conflict. Spotlighting the morally conflicting nature of UPB (unethical yet pro-organizational), we propose that engaging in UPB increases anxiety, especially for employees higher in moral attentiveness; in turn, this anxiety induced by UPB increases work-to-family conflict. A two-week experience sampling study of hairstylists supported our theoretical model: UPB had a significant indirect effect on work-to-family conflict via anxiety, and this effect was stronger for hairstylists higher in moral attentiveness. In sum, unethical behavior intended to benefit the organization may unintentionally harm the employee himself/herself.