Engaging employees not only creates a pleasant work atmosphere, it also is a good insurance policy against workplace sabotage, according to a University of British Columbia (UBC) Sauder School of Business study released October 5.
The study reveals that envious employees are more likely to undermine peers if they feel disconnected from others.
“We often hear that people who feel envious of their colleagues try to bring them down by spreading negative rumours, withholding useful information or secretly sabotaging their work,” said Karl Aquino, co-author of the study, which is set to appear in the Academy of Management Journal.
But envy is only the fuel for corporate sabotage.
“The match is not struck unless employees experience what psychologists call ‘moral disengagement’ – a way of thinking that allows people to rationalize or justify harming others.”
Glen Korstrom
@GlenKorstrom