Employee work habits: A definition and process model

Research indicates that half of employee work behaviors may be habits and that employee work habits can either facilitate or undermine efficient and effective task performance. Yet, management scholars lack a standard definition of employee work habits that promotes actionable knowledge and cumulative research. In addition, although research suggests that employee goal-directed and habitual behavior interface in several ways, the management literature does not address the relationship between these two types of work behavior. After reviewing previous research, we provide a new definition of the employee work habit construct. Our definition distinguishes employee work habits from general habits in three ways: a) they affect organizational effectiveness criteria, b) they are embedded in an organizational context, and c) they are associated with using organizational rewards. We also provide a process model that explains how employee goal-directed behavior can evolve into work habits. With this new precision in understanding employee work habits, management scholars can explore this common but overlooked type of work behavior, rigorously connect employee work habits to other theories and constructs, and greatly expand our knowledge of employee work habits.