Behavior at work

Work behavior is the behavior one uses in employment and is normally more formal than other types of human behavior. This varies from profession to profession, as some are far more casual than others. For example, a computer programmer would usually have far more leeway in their work than a lawyer.

People are usually more careful than outside work in how they behave around their colleagues, as many actions intended to be in jest can be perceived as inappropriate or even harassment in the work environment. In some cases, men may take considerably more care so as not to be perceived as being sexually harassing than they would ordinarily.

Work behavior is one of the significant aspects of Human Behavior. It is an individual’s communication towards the rest of the members of the work place. It involves both verbal as well as non-verbal mode of communication. For example, trust is a non-verbal behavior which is often reflected by a verbal communication at a work place. It represents your attitude towards your team and colleagues. A positive and good work behavior of an individual leads to higher performance, productivity and great outputs by the team or an individual. From the organizational perspective it is the most important area where Human Resource managers should focus.

Counterproductive work behavior

Counterproductive work behavior is also a type of work behavior. The majority of people do not know what counterproductive work behavior is. Counterproductive work behavior is the act that employees have against the organizations that do harm or violate the work production. Some examples of Counterproductive work behavior would include passive actions such as not working to meet date line or faking incompetence. Even people do not recognize this behavior, it seems normal to them. Some examples of counterproductive behavior are:

Intimate partner violence: Intimate partner violence occurs more often in the workplace. About 36% to 75% of employed women who experience Intimate partner violence have come out reporting that they have been harassed by a significant other while working. A variety of abusive behaviors is being demonstrated against victims to hinder their ability to come to work, get their work done, and stay in their current employment. The interference that the perpetrators employ are: Stocking them at their work site, harassing the victim, and interfering with the victim’s work; for example, sabotaging the victim, so they can not get to work.

Boredom: Jobs that require individuals to do the same task on a daily basis can lead to counterproductive behaviors. Boredom on the job could result in unfavorable work practices such as frequently missing work, lack of concentration, or withdrawal from the task that the person was hired to do, and thus, leading to a decrease in work efficiency.

• When people work slowly and the work needs to be done fast.
• When people or someone ignore their colleagues while at work.
• When people refuse to help their colleagues.
• When people show less interest in their work.
• When people show destructive behavior against their colleagues.
• When people refuse to accept a task.
• When people do not appreciate their colleague’s success.

Effects of verbal abuse

Verbal abuse is a concept that indicates some form of mistreatment via oral expression.[8] Verbal abuse can impact productivity in the workplace, both for the employee and employer. This type of behavior could lead to the resignation of the employee, poor quality of work, turnovers, and illness. Additionally, there is another type of verbal abuse called mobbing. This is when a group of individuals engages in non-physical abusive behavior at work. This could be expressed in aggressive and unprincipled forms of verbal abuse towards one person. If this behavior continues, the person will eventually feel pressured to quit his/her job due to poor performance.

Conflict resolution at work

It is important to resolve any issues that arise at work among team members. Conflict resolution plays a huge role in this. Handling these issues appropriately helps decrease harmful influences of all types of conflicts by bringing back integrity, building success in the work place and restoring efficiency. Working together to resolve conflict resolution lets conflict of different types to be fixed in a way that is beneficial to the group.

Your disposition, mood and feelings impact everything from your ability to make effective decisions to the level of your creativity and ability to work well with others. Inconsiderate behaviors such as rudeness and gossiping also interrupt the smooth flow of the workplace. Your behavior may even affect whether you keep your job. Transferring feelings to workplace behaviors affects your work performance

Rudeness

You can observe many forms of rudeness at work. Interruptions are rarely life or death, yet many of your fellow employees may feel that no matter what you are doing, what they have to say is more important. Simple words like “please” and “thank you” often are left unsaid in the workplace. Employees may have the attitude that someone else is going to clean up after them in the break room kitchen. Rudeness at work can lower productivity and lead to mistakes and conflicts, explains Jennifer A. Bunk, a West Chester University professor and member of the Society of Industrial & Organizational Psychology. Rudeness not only makes for an unpleasant work environment, but it also harms productivity and decreases job satisfaction

Happiness

Businesses are beginning to direct attention to happiness as a workplace issue and are developing management strategies to create a happier work environment, notes Wharton University professor Sigal Barsade. When you arrive at work with a positive attitude, you generally are more creative and tolerant of others; you aren’t so defensive and create conflicts among your coworkers or subordinates. When employees are happy, everything from sales to production flow more smoothly and effectively. An enjoyable workplace lowers stress, increases morale and creates camaraderie.

Bullying

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries says bullying is an act of intimidation designed to humiliate or undermine another. Bullying not only affects work performance, it also can put employees at serious risk for their safety. Bullies are driven by a need to control and to abuse or misuse power. Victims of bullying may experience physical and mental health problems from reduced self-esteem, sleep deprivation and digestive disturbances. The behavior can lead to accumulated absences and even post-traumatic stress disorder.

Gossip

One of the most difficult habits to break is gossiping about your fellow employees. Besides the obvious drain on productivity, gossip increases conflict, undermines your team’s performance, decreases morale and promotes miscommunications. When conflicts ensue, employees take sides or refuse to work with each other. Gossip breaks down trust, which eventually erodes your workplace energy and hinders your success.