LAUSR

We examined the association between workplace environment cleanliness and employees’ judgment of counterproductive work behavior (CWB). We recruited 59 participants who were employees of a large company in China, and assigned 28 to a clean workroom and 31 to a dirty workroom. We measured their judgment of whether or not behavior was acceptable, using the Counterproductive Work Behavior Checklist. Results showed that participants working in a clean environment tended to regard CWB as less acceptable than did those in a dirty environment, that is, a cleaner environment led to harsher judgment. Results suggested that there is a metaphorical association between environmental cleanliness and moral judgment. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.