How does workplace digital monitoring activate employees' unethical behavior

The dynamic nature of digital technology has presented both opportunities and challenges for organizational and human resource management practices. Managers and scholars alike have been concerned with achieving a harmonious interaction between humans and technology, as well as effectively supervising employees. Based on social information processing theory and moral disengagement theory, this paper constructs a theoretical model to examine the impact of workplace digital monitoring on employees' unethical behavior. The study also empirically investigates the mediating role of fear of negative evaluation and the moderating effects of perceived organizational politics and moral disengagement. Based on a two-stage questionnaire survey of 438 employees, the findings demonstrate that workplace digital monitoring positively influences unethical behaviors through fear of negative evaluation, while both perception of organizational politics and moral disengagement can effectively moderate this mediating effect. The research findings provide valuable insights into the mechanisms by which workplace digital monitoring affects employees' psychology and behavior, and offer practical guidance for enterprises seeking to mitigate its potential negative impacts.