Bad behavior at work is commonplace. We’re all guilty of occasionally calling in sick when we could have gone into work. What about the times that we’re checking social media or text messages when we should be working?

Types of Bad Behavior

Last month I wrote an article describing bosses’ bad behavior. I also posted information describing the gender differences in workplace behavior. This article, however,  focuses on workers’ behavior. Better Buys, a software and technology firm, surveyed more than 2,000 workers across different industries to learn where bad behavior at work is the most prevalent.

This chart shows the types of behavior that were identified by survey participants.

Worker Behavior by Industry

As I said in the beginning, most of us have been guilty of minor infractions at work. But the survey showed some industries have employees who do certain offenses more than others.

Worker Bad Behavior by Industries

Arriving Consistently Late	Gossiping	Over-Socializing	Faking a Sick Day	Yelling at Someone
Education: 63.7%	Manufacturing: 65%	Government: 62.5%	Manufacturing: 62.4%	Manufacturing: 70.1%
Energy and utilities: 63.6%	Nonprofit: 64.5%	Consumer: 62.1%	Government: 60.7%	Consumer: 64.1%
Consumer: 63.1%	Education: 62.2%	Manufacturing: 53.8%	Education: 60.2%	Government: 63.4%
Finance: 62.6%	Health care: 61.2%	Finance: 53.4%	Consumer: 60.2%	Transportation: 57.1%
Government: 61.6%	Consumer: 60.7%	Healthcare: 52%	Finance: 59.5%	Healthcare: 55.1%

Bad Behavior Report

The team at BetterBuys.com published “Employees Behaving Badly”. Their infographic summarizes the findings of their study.

Employees Behaving Badly

What’s the worst thing you’ve witnessed at work? Perhaps you noticed your cubicle mate updating his personal blog on company time or listened as employees in a nearby office gossiped about someone’s personal life (or worse, yours!). Maybe you’ve heard stories of a co-worker doing something unhygienic in a kitchen or laboratory; downloading porn on their work computer; or telling a tasteless, racist, or sexist joke. Via betterbuys.com

What’s missing in the report?

This report lacks a piece of the picture. Namely, it didn’t capture how employees’ dedicate their work and free time to making their companies and organizations successful. Yes, there is naughty behavior at work, but employees also frequently go the extra mile for their employers.

 

[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]At the end of the day, there’s a balance to our bad habits and our ability to go the extra mile.           ~BetterBuys.com[/social_quote]

 

Chart Data and Images via BetterBuys.com