Abstract:

Fear of missing out (FoMO) is a widespread and negative psychological phenomenon in the workplace with obvious cultural characteristics. The existing studies on workplace FoMO are mainly based on the Western context, which are not fully applicable to Chinese workplace employees who are deeply influenced by their traditional culture and concepts of “relationship,” “favor,” and “face.” Therefore, in this study, we explored the conceptual content, measurement dimensions, multidimensional effects, and formation mechanisms of workplace FoMO in the Chinese context through three consecutive sub-studies. In Study 1, we used a constructivist grounded theory as the research methodology to reconstruct the concept and connotation of workplace FoMO based on Chinese cultural contexts, such as “the pattern of difference sequence,” “favor and face,” and “hidden rules.” A standardized psychometric procedure was used to measure workplace FoMO among Chinese employees. In Study 2, we conducted a diary study to longitudinally track the dynamic effects of workplace FoMO on individuals’ work, family, and health domains. Based on the job demands-resources model, the effects of workplace FoMO on an individual’s work domain (work engagement), family domain (work-family conflict), and health outcomes (physical discomfort), as well as the boundary roles played by leader-member and colleague exchanges, were verified under the resource depletion and acquisition paths. The study findings suggest that workplace FoMO, as a negative psychological aspect of an individual’s workplace, not only impairs the resources that the individual should devote to work and family, but it also has an impact on one’s physical and mental health. When individuals experience workplace FoMO, they may be more reluctant to miss out on news at work and opportunities to build social relationships. Thus, they may become more socially demanding in the workplace. As a mechanism of “avoiding harm,” leader-member and colleague exchanges can promote the generation of positive psychological resources and alleviate the multidimensional resource depletion caused by workplace FoMO. In Study 3, we employed a two-stage data collection method to test the formation mechanism model of workplace FoMO and effectiveness of inhibitory strategies at both the mindset and institutional levels. Based on the social comparison theory, individuals in Chinese society are influenced by the education of role models and the “learn from others” mentality; they tend to determine whether they are missing out on potential resources by comparing themselves with others. Particularly, they tend to choose individuals perceived as superior to themselves as reference objects for upward comparisons. Based on the social comparison theory, study findings suggest that upward social comparison is a key factor in the formation of workplace FoMO. In addition, according to the uncertainty management theory, differences in comparative attribution mindsets (growth and fixed mindsets) and the degree of fairness (procedural and distributive fairness) in an organization are important situational factors that influence the formation mechanism of FoMO. The contributions of this study are the following three innovations. First, we explored the connotation and structure of workplace FoMO in the Chinese context, and developed a scientific and effective measurement tool for subsequent workplace FoMO studies. Second, we studied the multidimensional effects of Chinese employees’ FoMO in the work, family, and health domains and proposed mitigation strategies from the perspective of resource acquisition. Third, this study is based on the social comparison and uncertainty management theories, and we were the first to explore the formation mechanism of workplace FoMO in the Chinese context and propose intervention measures at both the individual and organizational levels.

Key words: workplace fear of missing out, job demands- resources model, social comparison theory, uncertainty management theory