Whether you’re in a multinational with thousands of employees or in a startup team with just five members, everyone has a part to play in the pursuit of organizational goals. That is why uncooperative employees, as well as those who demonstrate counterproductive behavior in the workplace, are likely to be a disruptive presence in the workflow and the organization as a whole.
Which behaviors are considered ‘counterproductive’?
John Maxwell once said, “Good attitudes among players do not guarantee a team’s success, but bad attitudes guarantee its failure.” This is even more apparent inside the workplace, where one’s behavior and attitudes can affect a company’s productivity and resources.
An employee may be considered counterproductive when he or she exhibits the following:
- Aggressiveness, or being prone to getting into conflict with their colleagues
Disagreements and differences in opinion happen quite regularly but conflict and aggression between co-workers should never be tolerated as these can have dire consequences on the morale of an organization. - Frequent absenteeism and recurring tardiness
Unavoidable logistical concerns and health issues notwithstanding, frequent tardiness and absenteeism can be a sign of an unhappy employee and their absence can directly affect a company’s production flow. - Procrastination and taking longer breaks than usual
Stalling and doing non-work related tasks typically affect the timeliness and productivity of an organization. An individual who has a tendency to procrastinate and gets easily distracted may develop a habit of turning in work beyond the deadline.
What causes counterproductive workplace behavior?
A person’s poor behavior in the workplace could potentially be rooted in a multitude of potential stressors, namely:
- Low morale
- Stress
- Dissatisfaction due to a perceived unequal treatment or unfair reward allocation
- A clash of personalities between colleagues
- Poor attitude
Individuals who constantly exhibit these are detrimental to achieving your organization’s goals. As such, it is essential to spot an individual’s counterproductive tendencies early on before it can start to negatively impact the team and create a toxic environment. Initiating activities to help each employee properly address these attitudes and behavior will be beneficial to the organization in the long run. As John Maxwell once pointed out, bad attitudes compound faster than good ones. Therefore, these counterproductive behavior and attitudes have to be dealt with quickly, professionally and most of all, consistently, or they will begin to become part of the company culture.
