Degree

Master of Science in Management

School

School of Business Studies (SBS)

Department

Department of Management

Date of Submission

Spring 2026-6-23

Supervisor

Dr. Yasir Mansoor Kundi, Assistant Professor, Department of Management

Submission Type

Graduate Thesis

Document Type

Restricted Access

Keywords

Algorithmic Management, State Depletion, Sleep Quality, Family Incivility, Family Undermining, Deviant Behavior, Gig Workers, COR Theory

Abstract

This study examines how algorithmic management affects gig workers’ behavior beyond the workplace, particularly within the family domain, by drawing on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory. It conceptualizes algorithmic management as a daily work stressor that places continuous demands on workers and gradually drains their physical and emotional energy. As a result, workers experience state depletion by the end of the day. The study further explores the role of sleep quality, the mediator as an important recovery mechanism and how it influences next-morning family-related outcomes such as incivility, family undermining, and deviant behavior.

To capture these daily dynamics, a diary research design was employed. Data were collected from 39 gig workers in Pakistan over a period of ten consecutive days, with responses recorded twice daily. This approach allowed for a closer examination of how workers’ experiences fluctuate from one day to another and how these fluctuations carry over into their personal lives. Multilevel analysis was used to test the relationships among the variables at the within-person level.

The findings suggest that higher levels of algorithmic management are associated with greater end-of-day depletion and lower levels of physical and emotional energy. These depleted resource states are linked with poorer sleep quality, which, in turn, increases the likelihood of negative behaviors toward family members the following morning. In particular, poor sleep was found to be a key pathway through which work-related strain spills over into the home environment.

Overall, the study highlights the hidden costs of algorithmic management by showing how daily work pressures can extend into family life. It also underscores the importance of recovery, especially sleep, as a mediator in breaking this cycle and maintaining well-being.

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