Acceptable vs Suspicious Behaviour

Thank you for joining the Australian Institute of Insider Threat where we can explore human behaviour. Diving to the shades of grey, where we examining the fine line of right and wrong. Hi, I'm Boss Fisher. And once again we have the mighty Peter Navra. Thank you. In this video, we'll explore the line between acceptable and suspicious behaviour and examining how subtle actions can shift from being perceived as normal to raising concerns. So let's define what we mean by acceptable behaviour.

Acceptable behavior is any behavior that sits within the understood boundaries or the formal boundaries and that has a consistency about it. So there's two factors for that. Are we inside of the boundaries and do we consistently stay inside of those boundaries? But there's also a second factor which is are we consistent in the way that we stay inside of those boundaries? So we might be very methodical, we might be very thoughtful about things and next day we come in and we're jumping. Like jumping. We're still in the boundary, we're still being friendly. But hang on, that's not consistent.

Correct. So the word consistency is the second part of that.

Yes.

So what makes someone go from being from acceptable behavior or crossing the line to becoming then suspicious?

So it is definitely moving outside of the established baseline, if I want to use that word, of behaviour that people have come to know and love, I suppose. And all of a sudden people become different. So they might become secretive, they might become closed.

Yes.

They may do things that. In a different way.

Yeah. Are there sort of common triggers or signs that show that this person has gone from sort of what we deem as acceptable behaviour to suspicious behaviour?

Absolutely. And they're subtle signs as well too. So people who are normally within a social circle may expand or move social circles. They may just close down entirely. So the social behavior inside of that environment is definitely a part of it. Also the way with which they approach work and the way with which they manage their time as well too. In a previous video I mentioned, suddenly everybody's or this particular person is staying late. Okay. One time late beyond when closing time has been and gone, that might be understood. But now it becomes two or three times a week for the last three weeks. So this can become a little suspicious. So anything that's out of the bound.

Yeah. So when we look at. From an external. So when we look at a person's behavior, we are perceiving their behavior. But my behaviour is going to be different than yours.

Correct.

How much of that impacts what happens and how that person is being perceived as either acceptable or suspicious.

Yes. And that's what I'm talking about. Baseline. So you do things differently to the way I do things.

Correct.

I may have a different energy about the way I do certain things, but you know that. And you expect that of me.

Correct.

And likewise from you. Now, if all of a sudden that changes and you suddenly become this amaz party animal.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I go, this is different.

Yeah. But could. Could there be a situation whereby, for example, I see this person as suspicious but you don't?

Correct. Yes. That is definitely part and parcel of. Part and parcel of it. Then it becomes, how has that person been behaving all the time? So some person, some may see a change as not suspicious at all.

Yes, Correct.

Perhaps they have other information that other people don't. Whereas other people go, that's odd.

Yes.

You know, Willie's not behaving the same way.

Correct, correct. Other sort of like, lines in the sand or what we call sometimes like red flags that straight away say, okay, this person has crossed a line.

Yeah. One of the best powerful red flags is that is when people become secretive. To give you an example. Okay, so it's your spouse's birthday, and you want to get this, the most amazing gift, but you need to take some time off. You need to make phone calls. You need to do this. Your spouse is going to pick up that you're doing things differently. Suspiciously. Now, in the context of birthday, that's understood. Perhaps your spouse understands.

Yeah, that's what they're coming up now.

Put that. Translate that into a work context. Right. Not necessarily. And there's no birthday. There's no reasonable reason for a change of behavior. All of a sudden, people start behaving in a secretive or in a closed kind of manner where they're holding things close to their chest.

Yes.

Then it's a good idea to have a look at that.

Yeah. How does maybe a cultural background or societal differences play sort of an impact role in terms of us determining whether a person is behaving as acceptable or suspicious?

Yeah. It comes down to how have they always been behaving? I think in the previous video, I mentioned that one of the things with a particular culture, the person I was speaking with never looked you in the eye when they were talking. They always looked the side, which in their culture was a sign of respect.

Yeah. Yeah.

So a change in that behavior might be darting eyes, and that might be. I'm looking for an escape. I really don't like this conversation at all. That's a red flag.

But is there a way to sort of dispel let's call it like a false positive or, you know, a false interpretation.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

Yeah. You basically. You basically sit down with them and say, hey, what's happening? Clarity. Look, daylight is the best.

Yeah. But it could be again, going back to the same story where we know my perception of this person is suspicious. Your perception isn't.

Yes.

How do we dispel the situation or the awareness that this person is legit?

You need to be able to follow through on that one. So if there is any hint of suspicion, be very, you know, respectful, but prove to your own self that that is an unfounded suspicion. Now, keeping in mind that there is a phrase called suspicion is raised, which means that something has changed.

Yes.

Something has caused you to raise that suspicion. It's not like that suspicion has been like, there all the time.

Correct.

So something raised that suspicion.

Yes.

So what is it? Put your finger on that and then follow that one through.

Is it. Who's. Whose line is it to, for example, to tap me on my shoulder and say, look, friend, you've got observation. Your perception is wrong. Should be coming from a colleague, should be coming from the manager.

I think more, it's less about your thing is wrong, it's more like, hey, you haven't been yourself lately. What's going on?

Yeah.

And then basically having that empathy, having that engagement and the person to do that is the one that's sitting right next to you. Person who sits next to you all the time and knows, you know, when your coffee break is, when you have your lunch, how loud you chew, when you have your lunch, that. That sort of thing? Yeah, that's the person who is more than likely to pick stuff up from an organizational point of view is what does that person do with it? How do they.

Yeah.

How do they gently move that forward?

So when it comes to a helping organization, do we create like an employee guideline, sort of dispelling, you know, what is deemed as suspicious and more focused on what is deemed as acceptable?

Most organisations have community rules.

Yes.

And you can beef those up till to the extreme and they become like legalistic contracts where every single loophole that ever was is now suddenly covered off. People will toss those. Or you can create guidelines and channels to say, look, if there is a problem, if you see a problem.

Yes.

We can take that with sensitivity advisory. Move forward with that.

Correct.

Because if I'm sitting next to you and you're a good mate, I'm not necessarily going to be here to diagnose what's going on. No, my Concern for you is what's going on. Okay, your, your pet mouse is dying. I don't know, something banal. But this is something that really impacts.

Yes.

Then you can say, hey, you know, just go easy on, on this one.

Yes.

Know he's going through a hard time. But that then telegraphs through the organization and people understand that. And not just the oversight, because oversight implies what are you doing, why are you doing it, but what's happening for that person.

Yeah, I was going to get to that point around oversight. So we've got corporate policies, Correct?

Right.

And by all accounts, corporate policies basically tell the people or the employees what is the expected behavior or what is deemed as accepted behavior. So what happens when for example, an executive or a manager doesn't follow those acceptable behavior?

It opens Pandora's box. So don't for one moment think that the people around you and below you as a manager don't see that happening. So what you're literally doing, what literally happens is that they now have permission to do similar things and their interpretation of what is a similar thing can be very divergent.

Let's say now that this executive had a really good reason. So what are the consequences of, of the people, the employees now labeling this person as suspicious? But maybe without having the right context of that situation, what's the impact to the organization?

The misunderstanding, the miscategorisation? Yeah. So for instance, if there's something like, let's take an off the wall scenario that something is personal going on with that particular executive, you know, somebody in their family has suddenly got very, very sick. It's probably a useful thing to know that there is something going on.

Yeah. But you know, how do you think Sometimes it's private, you know.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But at the same time it is really. The higher up you are in an organization, the more white on rice you have to be about what it is. How you telegraph that because no matter where you are in the higher ranks, you are mentor to somebody.

Yes, correct. That's true.

And there is a responsibility with that.

How does trust and rapport relate or in a relationship influence what is deemed as acceptable or.

So rapport is probably the biggest tool that you can have in understanding what is if things are going off track. So for instance, if you have a really good rapport with somebody, you have a joke, you do this. But that rapport then becomes constrained. You'll know straight away when something, you know, that conversation just didn't flow.

Yes.

And that only can consistent basis. Then you've got an idea that Something's going on.

Yeah. So are there sort of effective strategies for organizations to help employees deem as what is, let's say call it acceptable behavior but do it in a safety manner so they don't mislabel someone?

One of the most powerful tools you can have is an informal conversation. And informal conversations are great from a couple of perspectives. It actually takes the heat out of whatever it is you're going. You can sit down, I don't know, maybe have a cup of coffee, maybe.

Have some lunch this way or the.

Other, relax and then ask some questions in a non threatening way.

Yeah. So not throwing an email because in the email you can have a lot of.

He says. Correct, correct. And from a psychology point of view, people will slip up more in an informal situation as opposed to a formal. Formal situation. No, officer, I did not.

Yes, yes.

Don't think I did that. So those kinds of things are. An informal chat is a really useful thing. If then you feel you need to move into a bit more formal, then maybe bring somebody else in and start looking at what the effect might be.

Alrighty, so we come to the last question. What is the key takeaway, as always, about discussing this type of topic?

So what's acceptable and what's suspicious? Acceptable is always going to be what is the norm? What are these? What is the. As long as people are within the constraints of the boundaries of the organization or of the system and they are consistent in the way that they operate, the way that they operate inside of that environment, then you've got acceptable behavior on two levels. Suspicious behaviour starts when things change. When all of a sudden Willy rocks up in a Porsche and starts sprouting different facial hair and whatever, the designer Italian leather suits, then that might be suspicious behaviour. Yes, correct. So these are the sorts of things. I mean, I'm being very overt here.

Yes.

But those are the sorts of things that become suspicious behavior when people move out of what they normally do.

Alrighty. I'm very suspicious of this video with that. Thank you very much. Stay tuned to the next video. Thank you, Peter. Thank you very much and cheers. Cheers.