Preventing and Addressing Negative Behaviors in the Workplace

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue addresses the prevention and addressing of negative behaviors in the workplace. In the current professional environment, workplace dynamics involve a multidimensional interplay of individual personalities, interpersonal relationships and organizational structures. Regrettably, within this context, intentional or not, a wide range of troubling and widespread negative behaviors often exist, adversely impacting the well-being of individuals and organizations. These behaviors can have significant financial impacts on organizations (and society) and cause detrimental well-being outcomes for employees. These behaviors include theft, engaging in non-work-related online activities such as shopping or entertainment, causing damage to company property, wasting organizational resources, engaging in voluntary absenteeism (such as arriving late, leaving early, or being absent without a valid reason) and engaging in presenteeism (working at a reduced capacity or a slow pace). Additionally, incivility, aggression, workplace bullying, cyberbullying and sexual harassment can harm fellow employees. The detrimental effects of alcohol and drug misuse on people extend to the overall performance of organizations.

The COVID-19 epidemic has had a significant impact on work environments. Certain sectors have experienced varying degrees of impact, notably the many technology, finance, professional services (including consulting, legal, and accounting), education, media, marketing and advertising companies shifting to a permanent remote or hybrid work practice incorporating flexible working arrangements. Employers were required to accommodate autonomy, minimize micromanagement, embrace flexibility and advocate employee well-being. However, these changes may have also presented a difficulty in effectively addressing and intervening in negative behaviors. As a result of the shift toward remote employment, organizations may now have increased challenges in identifying negative behaviors or securing corroborating evidence from bystanders, as the reduced physical cohabitation limits opportunities for observation and support.

Therefore, this Special Issue seeks to explore the evolving strategies for preventing, detecting and intervening in negative acts, drawing upon evidence-based approaches and theoretical models. All types of original research articles (quantitative, qualitative or mixed method), systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and interventions (i.e., primary, secondary and tertiary) in preventing and addressing all types of negative behaviors, especially from the perspective of the perpetrators of the acts, are welcome. We invite contributions from all disciplines, from academics and practitioners that possess a robust methodological foundation and can advance the field in terms of interventions to achieve a workplace environment characterized by compassion, empathy and inclusivity.

Potential authors are kindly asked to send titles and abstracts to Gülüm Özer (gulum.ozer@kcl.ac.uk).

Dr. Gülüm Özer
Prof. Dr. Elfi Baillien
Prof. Dr. Jordi Escartín
Guest Editors

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