Staff on the Naughty Step:
Dealing with counterproductive workplace behaviour
Sandra Henry
School Manager, School of Languages and Cultures,
University of Sheffield
and Network Coordinator
AUA Departmental Administrators Network
AUA Branch Meeting, University of Kent
Thursday 10 July 2014
Tracy & Olivia
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuJxsLE7Dgc
Definitions and terminology
Workplace
ASB
Workplace
Incivility
•"..any behaviour
that brings harm,
or is intended to
bring harm to an
organisation, its
employees, or its
stakeholders"
• low intensity
deviant
behaviours that
are rude and
discourteous, with
ambiguous intent
to harm the target
•E.g.:
confidentiality
violations, fraud,
aggression,
discrimination,
theft, violence,
sabotage, lying,
harassment,
revenge and
whistleblowing
•E.g.: interactions
which are
demeaning,
abusive,
derogatory, or
threatening, social
isolation, rudeness
CWB
•"An emotionbased response to
stressful
organizational
conditions."
•"A cognition-based
response to
experienced
injustice."
•E.g.: Overt acts:
aggression,
conflict, sabotage
and theft.
Passive acts: doing
work incorrectly,
and failing to
follow instructions.
Dysfunctional
Behaviour
Organizational
Misbehaviour
Organizational
Deviance
• acts that have
negative
consequences for
individuals/a group
of individuals (a
team) and/or the
organization itself.
• "..anything you do
at work you are
not supposed to
do.” working
against core
organizational
and/or societal
norms)
• "behaviour which
violates significant
organizational
norms and in doing
so threatens the
well-being of the
organization, its
members, or
both."
•E.g.: violent
aggression,
physical and verbal
assault.
Nonviolent: theft,
revenge, absence,
drug/alcohol use.
•E.g.: sabotage,
failing to work
hard/consistently,
practical joking,
pilferage,, sexual
misconduct
•E.g.: spreading
rumours and
embarrassing coworkers, theft,
sabotage, bullying,
sexual harassment
What CWB is not:
• Labelling people.
• Genuine sickness absences.
• Genuine medical conditions, for which a diagnosis
exists.
• Genuine differences of opinion or disagreements
expressed in a respectful way.
• Authorised absences/lateness.
Harm aimed at an organization
Coming to work late without permission
Sabotage
Timewasting
Facebook
Taking long breaks
Trying to look busy while doing nothing
Being rude to customers
Absenteeism
Failing to report a problem so that it gets worse
Presenteeism
Leaving early without permission
Harm aimed at an individual
Derogatory or nasty comments
Negativity
Hostility
Facebook
Silent protests
Not returning a phone call to someone you should
Outbursts (crying/anger)
Skiving
Ignoring someone at work
Playing games
Misuse of humour
Criticism/undermining others
Dirty looks
Making someone look bad Verbally abusing a colleague
Bullying
Bullying characteristics
Being ignored
Withholding information
Unrealistic targets
Belittling remarks
Intimidation
Criticisms
Excessive work monitoring
Feeling being cut off
Being shouted at
Afraid to take sick leave
Verbal & physical threats
Ayoko, Callan and Hartel 2003
Bullying emotions
Stress
Anger
Confusion
Powerlessness
Depression
Feeling undermined
Sadness
Feeling isolated
Humiliation
Fearful
Performance problems
Time wasting
Shirking
Withholding effort
Job neglect
Withholding efficiency
Noncompliance
Slow working
Ignorance about rules
Not following procedures
Costliness of CWB (1)
Staffing problems:
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Retention issues
Wellbeing
Morale
Disruption to teams
Problematic working relationships
Commitment
Staff turnover
Sickness absence
Recruitment costs
Costliness of CWB (2)
Mental health related difficulties
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Workplace
depression
• Nervous conditions
• Emotional distress
• Panic attacks
organizational & interpersonal
Production Deviance
Property Deviance
Leaving early
Sabotaging equipment
Taking excessive breaks
Accepting kickbacks
Intentionally working slow
Lying about hours worked
Wasting resources
Stealing from company
Political Deviance
Personal Aggression
Showing favouritism
Sexual harassment
Gossiping about co-workers
Verbal abuse
Blaming co-workers
Stealing from co-workers
Competing non-beneficially
Endangering co-workers
Exercise
A member of your team is unhappy with her
performance review. She believes the feedback
and rating you gave her are not fair or accurate,
and she responds by badmouthing you, to the rest
of the team, and her comments get back to you.
Is this a problem?
How would you handle it?
Key features of CWB
Individual
differences
Situational
factors
Cognitive
processing
CWB
Some reasons for CWB
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Boredom
Role conflict and/or role ambiguity
Unhappiness with grade/job
Job stress related to role conflict and ambiguity, and
workload
Negative feedback from the manager
Feeling betrayed or let down by a manager or senior staff
Perceived injustice
Unrest/uncertainty (change)
Restructures or office reorganization
Frustration
The role of frustration
Environmental
Frustrator
Cognitive Appraisal
Experienced
Frustration
Behavioural
Reaction
(Spector 1997)
Passive leadership
Definition:
“Managers who display a passive
leadership style model an apathetic,
indifferent mode of behaviour consistent
with the “whatever” mentality that
allows incivility to flourish.”
Harold and Brian (2014)
Passive leadership
• What is it?
• a reticence to act or failure to provide
leadership
• a lax, informal work environment
• a pattern of inaction
• neglecting workplace problems
• less likely to define and clarify behavioural
expectations
• generally don’t take proactive steps to
model and reward appropriate conduct
Harold and Brian (2014)
Examples of Workplace incivility:
negative eye contact
giving someone the silent treatment
asking for input and then ignoring it
"forgetting" to share credit for collaborative
work, or not giving credit where its due
• waiting impatiently over someone's desk to
gain their attention
• side conversations during a formal meeting
or presentation
• public reprimands
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Personality….
Psychopaths, Narcissists, Machiavellian’s
PSYCHOPATHY
Superficial charm
Lack of Remorse
Irresponsible
Egocentric
NARCISSISM
Antisocial
Fantasies of power
Need for admiration
MACHIAVELLIANISM
Sense of entitlement
“views and manipulates
others for his/her own
purpose”
Lack of empathy
Exploitation
People Management 2010
Charisma (good with people)
Superficial charm
Self-confidence
Grandiosity/pomposity
Ability to influence
Manipulative
Persuasive
Exploitative
Risk taker
Impulsive
Visionary thinker
Fantasies of power
Action oriented
Poor at planning
People Management 2010
Undesirable traits
Desirable traits
Personality traits
CWB involving Facebook
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Virgin Atlantic
New Park Nursing Home
Royal Bank of Scotland
Argos
Royal Scots Guard
'Her and William drove past me on Friday and all I got
was a s****y wave while she looked the opposite way
from me, stupid, stuck-up cow. Am I not good enough
for them! Posh b****. Who really gives a f*** about
her?'
What can managers do?
The goal is to develop the skill of
stepping outside the situation to ask
“what’s happening, why is it
happening”, and then using this
understanding to take positive action.
CWB caused by the manager?
• Failing to understand their own managerial style, and
the role this plays in the situation
• Excusing CWB because of “talent”
• Failing to act
• Failing to address problems as they arise
• Showing favouritism
• Being inconsistent
• Setting a bad example
• Job design and management procedures
Nick and Carol
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpS8P4Trdqc
Managerial action
(1)
(corrective &/or preventative)
• Understand your own managerial, professional
and behavioural style.
• Adopt vigilant selection and management
procedures.
• Facilitate good communication.
• Consider the role that structure, job design and
processes play in creating CWB or other deviant
behaviour.
• Look how work is allocated.
Managerial action
(2)
(corrective &/or preventative)
• Implement effective supervision/line management
• Adopt a zero tolerance approach…how?
• Get help (HR, Line manager, peers)
• Develop your ability to deal with difficult
situations (training, skill building)
• Tackle bad behaviour
Sandra Henry
[email protected]
0114 2228454