Examining the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Workplace Deviance: A Self-Regulatory Perspective

The causes of workplace deviance are of increasing interest to organizations. We integrate psychological and neurocognitive perspectives to examine the effects of sleep deprivation on workplace deviance. Utilizing self-regulatory resource theories, we argue that sleep deprivation decreases individuals’ self-control while increasing hostility, resulting in increased workplace deviance. We test our hypotheses using two samples: one comprised of nurses from a large medical center and another comprised of undergraduate students participating in a lab study. Results from both samples largely converge in supporting our hypotheses.