Counterproductive Work Practices: The Range, Nature, and Management

1. Introduction

Counterproductive work behavior (CWB) has been a major subject since the beginning of time. "A papyrus recovered from an Egyptian tomb describes how, over 2000 years ago, workers building monuments for the nobility walked off the job to protest their lack of pay." (MacLane, Walmsley, 2010, 62; citing Vernus, 2003). Although, in that time period, it was illegal to walk off a job and/or protest, they were just expressing a counterproductive work behavior from the results of stress and not being treated fairly when it came to wages. Counterproductive work behaviors through time have been categorized into five distinctive classes: abuse, production deviance, sabotage, theft, and withdrawal. These five classifications have further dimensions which will be discussed further. In addition, organizations are taking multiple measures to recognize, prevent, and stop counterproductive work practices.

Many scholars have different ways to define counterproductive work behaviors but the definitions have the same significant points, that CWB is wrong. CWB's are the negative behaviors of employees, individuals and /or groups that affect the production, profits, and the atmosphere of an organization. The five categories also, have their own descriptions when it comes to counterproductive work behaviors. Abuse, by most researchers, is the hurtful and disgusting behaviors employees express towards co-workers and/or customers. Secondly, production deviance is when employees deliberately do the job wrong or allowing inaccuracy and miscalculations to go on. After that, is sabotage and it is defined in counterproductive work behavior as intentionally damaging organizational property. Furthermore, theft is known everywhere as taking property not belonging to you. Finally, there is withdrawal, which is portrayed in counterproductive work practices as absenteeism and lateness done purposely to avoid work.

2. The range and the nature

2.1 The factor of abuse in the workplace

The unrelenting behavior of abuse takes on different shapes within organizations. Two major abuse CWB's are Sexual Harassment and Bullying. Sexual Harassment (SH) is one of the most costly to associations since it mostly ends in legal battles. Sporadically SH is motivated by harmless attraction however, Sexual Harassment is more often than not, power driven like most counterproductive work practices. According to P.M. Popovich and Michael A. Warren "the role of power in incidents of SH, whether it is more generally accepted scenario of supervisor demanding sexual favor of subordinate in exchange for a promotion, or the less obvious in which co-workers post sexually explicit pictures in the workplace...they both share characteristics of power abuse." (47-48). Sexual Harassment is said to cause emotional distress, absenteeism, dissatisfaction, etc. thus, leading to poor work performance and less productivity.

There are many forms of abuse in CWB from disrespect of the clientele to using ones hierarchy to contempt co-workers, but, on the other hand, bullying within entities is becoming an arising counterproductive work behavior. Around the world this behavior is reaching the attention of scholars for its many forms. "The researchers expand the scope of inquiry by differentiating between "general bullying," and behaviors that can occur to anyone without reference to race or ethnicity, and "racial/ethnic bullying," which attacks the target explicitly based on the race or ethnicity." (Fox, Stallworth, 2004, 439). General bullying can be some form of intimidation like a mean stare from the boss and/or disrespecting a co-worker or group in front of other co-workers and /or groups also, a superior threatening your job and/or pushing you further down the hierarchy of the organization, plus many more situations. Nevertheless, racial/ethnic bullying can reach other levels. If co-workers or superiors call you by demeaning names pertaining to your race and/or ethnic background, or when information is not transferred to you to complete a task based solely on your race or ethnicity, in addition to other situations; CWB's will arise. Along with general and racial/ethnic bullying there is supervisory bullying. Supervisory bullying, what many scholars call it; is the mistreatment of subordinates by the organizations superiors. Bullying, another power driven form of abuse; does not always have to be physical, in CWB it is most of the time psychological and still has the same effects to the business. The impact of bullying can have on an individual and/or group can lead to many counterproductive work behaviors. To mention a few CWB's are home and job satisfaction, turnovers, emotional stress, absenteeism, maybe resignation or quitting, all affect the productivity and/or profits of an organization.

2.2. The other four CWB classifications

Counterproductive work behaviors are the cut throats of organizations. Production deviance, sabotage, theft, and withdrawal all are expensive CWB's that effect production of corporation's everyday. "Employee theft alone, for instance, costs U.S. companies several billion dollars annually and has been citied as the major cause of business failures." (Bowling, Gruys, 2010, 54; citing Buss, 1993; Camara and Schneider, 1994; Greenberg, 1990, 1997). Production deviance is a deliberate action therefore; the cost of customer returns, replacements, and/or refunds will put a debenture in revenues. Sabotage the same. Employees who purposely put a virus in computer, break machinery, or even do not deliver on deadline can destroy year long projects, sales, and result in good standing reputations and reliability lost. There can additionally be cross-functional sabotage and production deviance within an organization. For instance, the accounting department can grant more funds to another department therefore, sabotaging the other department's inputs to production. Moreover, one department may purposely make a mistake and/or allow one to happen later effecting what occurs in the other departments and than outputs will suffer. Theft has been the most costly to organizations. As a result to employees who take simple objects such as pens to higher