Abstract
Drawing from moral foundations theory, we show that differences in sensitivity to distinct moral norms help explain differences in the perceived (un)fairness of punishing employees for off-duty deviance. We used an initial study to validate realistic examples of non-criminal behavior that were perceived as violating a specific moral foundation. Participants in the main study (n = 166) evaluated scenarios in which co-workers were fired for those behaviors, which took place outside of work but were revealed via social media. The extent to which participants valued the norm violated by the co-worker positively predicted perceived fairness of the firing, and negatively predicted expressed intent to take retributive action against the responsible manager. This effect was moderated by the presence of a pre-existing organizational policy regarding off-duty conduct, which uniformly decreased negative reactions to the firing. Because social media now makes the revelation of an employee’s off-duty behavior to a broad audience increasingly likely, our results suggest the importance of developing an approach for responding to employee off-duty deviance while highlighting the relevance of moral pluralism to the study of third-party reactions.
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Notes
Results of hypothesis tests do not change if gender is dropped from the model and these two participants are included.
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Appendix 1: Study 1—Ratings and classifications of vignettes
Appendix 1: Study 1—Ratings and classifications of vignettes
Vignette | Moral foundation considered most clearly violated (among those who considered the act wrong) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wrongness (SD) | Not wrong | Care (%) | Fairness (%) | Loyalty (%) | Authority (%) | Purity (%) | Liberty (%) | |
Someone throws a kitten as part of a joke, causing it to yelp on impact | 4.5 (0.75) | 0 | 84 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
Someone posts a picture of a person on Twitter without their knowledge, making fun of their weight e | 3.96(0.95) | 4 | 60 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 31 |
Someone creates an account on a website intended to help people commit adultery without their spouse's knowledge | 3.84 (1.09) | 6 | 18 | 28 | 30 | 2 | 22 | 0 |
Someone tells a dirty joke at a holocaust memorial | 3.72 (1.27) | 12 | 31 | 2 | 9 | 26 | 30 | 3 |
Someone makes a post on Facebook about how people with disabilities are a drain on society | 3.61 (1.17) | 8 | 52 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 22 |
Someone disposes of a small bag of garbage by throwing it into a nearby forest | 3.54 (0.95) | 11 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 47 | 12 |
Someone makes an obscene gesture in a cemetery for military veterans | 3.42 (1.15) | 8 | 14 | 1 | 14 | 44 | 23 | 4 |
Someone yells at a server at a restaurant because their meal is late d | 3.35 (0.99) | 9 | 62 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 22 |
Someone posts online about a private conversation they overheard containing what they consider offensive humor, including a picture of those involved in the conversation | 3.31 (1.03) | 8 | 32 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 8 | 30 |
Someone makes a joke about how members of a specific religious group are dumb | 3.09 (1.29) | 17 | 36 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 31 |
Someone participates in a non-violent white nationalist rally | 2.86 (1.39) | 31 | 16 | 33 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 27 |
Someone makes a post on Facebook about how worthless teachers are | 2.85 (1.23) | 22 | 34 | 4 | 5 | 37 | 4 | 15 |
Someone who is a United States citizen burns an American flag at a protest | 2.73 (1.48) | 31 | 2 | 1 | 53 | 39 | 4 | 1 |
Someone states that biological differences between men and women make men better suited to do certain types of work and women better suited to do other types of work | 2.71 (1.35) | 29 | 13 | 55 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 21 |
Someone makes a post on Twitter making fun of police officers | 2.59 (1.23) | 25 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 56 | 3 | 1 |
Someone posts pornographic self-photography online b | 2.25 (1.41) | 44 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 88 | 2 |
Someone posts on social media bragging about making out with multiple strangers the night before a | 2.22 (1.27) | 41 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 86 | 0 |
Someone brags on social media about drinking excessively to the point of vomiting c | 2.19 (1.24) | 43 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 85 | 1 |
Someone refuses to stand for the pledge of allegiance at a public event | 2.13 (1.35) | 47 | 2 | 5 | 33 | 57 | 2 | 2 |
Someone makes a public online post making fun of their political party, saying they will support the opposing party's candidate | 1.74 (1.01) | 58 | 10 | 8 | 66 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
n = 119. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percent. Superscripts denote those used to develop Study 2 scenarios (see Table 1).
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Cook, W., Kuhn, K.M. Off-Duty Deviance in the Eye of the Beholder: Implications of Moral Foundations Theory in the Age of Social Media. J Bus Ethics 172, 605–620 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04501-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04501-9