A study to determine the relationship between employees' social media use in the workplace and time theft

ABSTRACT Master's Thesis A STUDY TO DETERMİNE THE RELATİONSHİP BETWEEN EMPLOYEES' SOCİAL MEDİA USE İN THE WORKPLACE AND TİME THEFT Fazilet ERKMEN ŞAHİN Malatya Turgut Ozal University Graduate Scholl of Educatıon of Busınes Administration 81+viii Page 2026 Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Meral ÇALIŞ DUMAN With the widespread adoption of digital technologies and social media platforms in working life, the effects of employees' social media use during working hours on job performance, time management, and organizational productivity have become an important research topic. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between employees' social media use in the workplace and time theft behaviors. Within this scope, the study evaluates the effect of employees' levels of social media use on their time theft behaviors. The population of the study consists of academic and administrative staff employed at a public university. A simple random sampling method was used, and data obtained from 315 employees were analyzed. The survey method was preferred as the data collection tool, and scales related to social media use and time theft were utilized in the study. SPSS 26.0 software was used for data analysis, and frequency analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis, independent samples t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted. According to the findings, a positive, moderate, and statistically significant relationship was found between social media use and time theft (r = .573; p < .01). The results of the regression analysis showed that social media use significantly explained time theft behaviors (R² = .329). The findings indicate that as employees' level of social media use increases, their time theft behaviors also increase. In addition, analyses of demographic variables revealed that employees' levels of social media use and time theft behaviors differed according to variables such as gender, years of service, and employment type. The results of the study indicate that social media use has an impact on employees' job performance, attention levels, and time management, and that uncontrolled and unconscious social media use may negatively affect employee productivity. However, it was also concluded that completely prohibiting social media use would not be an effective solution; instead, employees should be supported in developing conscious and responsible social media use. Accordingly, it is recommended that organizations provide digital awareness training, establish clear policies regarding social media use, and expand practices aimed at improving employees' time management skills. KEYWORDS: Social Media, Time Theft, Social Media Platforms