Workplace Deviance

Workplace deviance is a deliberate or intentional desire to cause harm to an organisation. This can be the organisation which employs an individual or an organisation of which they are a member. It is, perhaps, best described as “voluntary behaviour which contravenes the established norms of the organisation and, in doing so, compromises its viability.”

Workplace deviance can vary greatly, from minor non-violent misbehaviour to extreme violence, up to and including murder, but any of which causes harm or potential harm to the organisation. Broadly speaking workplace deviance falls into two distinct categories, Interpersonal Deviance and Organisational Deviance.

Interpersonal deviance is misconduct which targets specific co-workers and includes behaviours such as gossiping about them, blaming them for things that are not their fault, falsely raising grievances against them and so on. It is believed that these unhealthy behaviours may be due to jealousy of the target co-workers abilities or a sense of entitlement. In other words the misbehaviour has one aim, to benefit the person doing it.

Organisation deviance is behaviour aimed at the organisation itself and most frequently manifests itself as frequent lateness or excessive absenteeism.

Workplace deviance can be a symptom of a toxic workplace or a toxic employee.

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