Meterialism versus voluntary simplicity: does the lifestyle affect workplace deviance behaviors

Abstract

Workplace deviation literature has mainly focused on the effects of organizational practices on workplace deviation behaviors. It has been ignored that the individual characteristics of the employees can also cause workplace deviation. This research aims to determine the effect of employees' lifestyles on deviant behavior in the workplace. Materialism and voluntary simplicity were discussed as lifestyles in the research. The research was designed as cross-sectional quantitative research. Research data were collected through a questionnaire consisting of materialism, voluntary simplicity, and workplace deviant behavior scales. Research data were obtained from 387 professionals working in the service sector. Hypotheses are tested using regression analysis. According to the research findings, while materialism affects workplace deviance positively, voluntary simplicity affects negatively. These results show that managers should