The impact of employee misconduct

Fredrick Qaphelani Mabikwa

THE military has a heavily regulated structure in place to enforce discipline and foster excellence, but the civilian world doesn’t always offer an equivalent system.

Some well-resourced organisations suffer low productivity due to employee misconduct and poor attitudes. While some organisations are strict about correcting troublesome behaviour, others are more laid-back, allowing employees to take advantage and do as they please.

Unreliability in employees is a cancer in any organisation. These are employees who cannot manage themselves, arriving late for meetings and missing deadlines.

Sometimes deadlines are met, but the quality of work is poor and requires rechecking or redoing. Alternatively, there is inconsistency; an employee may produce brilliant work and display a positive attitude one day, only to deliver mediocre work and a poor attitude the next, leaving one to wonder if it is the same person. Insubordination and rudeness are common traits in some employees.

This characteristic can not only frustrate management but also damage the company’s reputation if the employee interacts with customers.

Such employees show no respect for management, talk back, argue with customers, and deliberately choose not to follow instructions.

There are lazy employees who do the bare minimum to earn their pay-check and refuse to take on extra tasks, even those within their job description.

They show no innovation, limit themselves to routine tasks, and are content with achieving minimum standards. Sometimes tasks are not completed on time, and they depend on others to do their work.

They are uninterested in developing themselves academically and professionally and are lackadaisical about internal and external training. Some employees never take responsibility for their actions.

Nothing is ever their fault; either someone else dropped the ball, the instructions were unclear, or a personal issue got in the way of their performance. These excuses eventually form a pattern, revealing a lack of accountability and responsibility.

Some employees have a bad attitude. Their thoughts or feelings about workplace issues can disrupt operations. A brilliant worker is not worth it if their attitude is toxic and disturbs the workplace.

Signs of a bad attitude might include arrogance, constant and unwarranted criticism of management, constant complaining, contempt for teammates or customers, or a lack of respect for the company’s standard operating procedures, vision, mission, and values.

Some employees are endowed with high adrenaline and are adept at causing drama and stirring the pot. They have too much energy, which is often misdirected. These high-energy employees might spread rumours, overreact to problems, and exaggerate disagreements. They are very sarcastic when making comments.

At face value, they appear passive, but in reality, they are very aggressive. This passive-aggressive employee might publicly criticise other employees under the guise of helping.

We also have the unengaged employee, the opposite of the one who causes drama. An unengaged employee does not care about their work or what’s happening in the company.

They don’t participate in meetings or interact with co-workers or customers, even when the job demands it. Then there are those who are not punctual at work. Late coming becomes a culture, and they consider it normal. They are late and use work time for personal tasks.

They lack work ethics and seriousness, entering the workspace and immediately texting friends, scrolling social media, watching YouTube videos, or playing computer games.

This trait is even worse when their time-wasting affects others. Some employees have duties that depend on others, and if such duties are not done, it stalls productivity in the organisation.

The indecisive and overly dependent employee can hardly make decisions without consulting a supervisor or manager, even in areas where they have authority.

This trait delays production and frustrates other employees who have to wait while consultations are made. Some employees deliberately violate company policies. This isn’t about skill; it is just a bad attitude and shows disdain for the employer.

There are dishonest employees. Nothing breaks morale like dishonesty. Some employees manufacture stories, lie outrightly, and blame others for their mistakes. This kind of employee is also fond of taking credit for other people’s work and can deliberately withhold vital information to sabotage processes.

They might volunteer confidential information about the company, lack collective responsibility, and publicly criticise the company. They will not share their grievances internally but will opt for social media and other public forums.

We also have employees with frequent absences who take excessive time off. They will stay home for a minor ailment and attend virtually all funerals directly and indirectly connected to them. Some employees are just disorganised; their workspace is very dirty, and there is no semblance of order. This disorganisation is also evident in their physical upkeep, where they fail to keep themselves clean and occasionally present themselves unkempt.

Human resources departments in organisations can play an integral role in providing guidance and training to managers dealing with difficult employees.

Managers often avoid addressing interpersonal issues because these problems can be very challenging to resolve. Human resources departments can assist managers in identifying problems and strategising possible solutions.

In my next article, I will consider some possible remedies for dealing with bad employees.