Counter-productive work behaviour often refers to an employee’s conduct that undermines their professional performance. This kind of behaviour can come in various forms (e.g., absenteeism, belligerence. tardiness, workplace violence, drug and alcohol abuse, etc.). It can ultimately impact the quality of work produced by the employee in question and negatively affect the productivity of other workers. As a result, counter-productive work behaviour can create various undesirable risks for the organization.
Employers often see some of the more common counter-productive work behaviour, such as delay, negligence, and belligerence. It is not uncommon for employees to run late on rare occasions. Sometimes unpredictable situations like family emergencies or unusual traffic occur, which causes a delay in our arrival time at work. Employers are usually understanding and will forgive employees who encounter such surprising situations. Granted, however, an employee’s potential for forgiveness is affected by their level of delay and existing professional reputation. For example, an employee who is usually punctual, proficient, and completes their work on time is more likely to be forgiven by their employer if they are running late on a rare occasion compared to someone who is consistently late or leaves early. Most organizations have a fixed schedule for their hours of operation, which is often mentioned in an Employment Contract, and the onus is on each employee to ensure they are compliant with this schedule.
Belligerent attitude (or behaviour) is another form of counter-productive work behaviour. We all have bad days, and it is not uncommon to lose our temper occasionally. However, employees who are often belligerent, rude, or confrontational with other team members can create much animosity within the organization. This kind of behaviour can affect everyone by ultimately causing damage to the organization’s company culture. It can also lower employee morale and productivity altogether.
Furthermore, the rise in technological advances has opened a new realm of counter-productive work behaviour. Most (if not all) corporate operations are now managed online. For example, sales, marketing, and customer service are now accessible through various web-based platforms, such as social media. As a result of this new movement, many employees now conduct their work on a computer that is connected to the internet, which is a convenient way to optimize productivity. However, the drawback to this convenience is that employees can easily access their social media accounts and other private databases. This behaviour is commonly referred to as digital loafing, and it is one of the common culprits of time-wasting opportunities.
There is a common belief that loafing on the job can make the time go by faster. However, the amount of work that will inevitably pile up during the loafing period can ultimately delay a project, which can negatively affect an employee’s standing in an organization. Therefore, employees should take their jobs seriously and try their best to optimize their skills and abilities whenever possible.
A grey area of counter-productive work behaviour is gossiping. Negative workplace gossip causes social undermining and significant side effects on employees, especially the targeted individual. Unfortunately, complaints regarding workplace gossip are hard to identify and prove because this practice is often subtle and covert, albeit they pose a threatening risk to the overall organization. Workplace gossip can further lower employee morale, productivity, and produce high levels of employee turnover.
Employers are encouraged to learn about the dangers of counter-productive work behaviour, and develop strategic ways to mitigate the risks of each performance issue. Developing, enforcing, and making available appropriate policies and procedures that prohibit counter-productive work behaviour are helpful ways to control and reduce such practices. Many employers will create specific clauses in their Employee Contracts or Handbooks that forbid workers from surfing the web or accessing their personal accounts during working hours. More stringent employers will also establish an access ban, which restricts their employees from accessing any website or content that is irrelevant to their work (i.e., website blockage).
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