Helping the organization but hurting yourself: How employees’ unethical pro-organizational behavior predicts work-to-life conflict

Integrating paradox theory with work-life boundary theory, we examine how employees’ unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) increases work-to-life conflict. Based on the morally paradoxical nature of UPB (unethical yet pro-organizational), we propose that UPB triggers emotional ambivalence by simultaneously inducing guilt (negative moral emotion) and pride (positive moral emotion). This emotional ambivalence produces a state of anxiety, which in turn increases employees’ work-to-life conflict. Our theoretical perspective (UPB → emotional ambivalence [guilt & pride] → state anxiety → work-to-life conflict) was supported by an experience sampling study of hairstylists (Study 1), a vignette experiment of accountants (Study 2), and an experience sampling study of employee-partner pairs (Study 3). In sum, our research demonstrates that unethical behavior intended to benefit the organization may paradoxically hurt employees themselves.