What Factors Influence An Employee To Behave Negatively In The Workplace?

Hello, everyone, and welcome back. My name is Buzz Fisher from Naked Inside and we have Peter Natterer. Welcome.

Thank you.

Great. And today's topic is. We wanted to identify why do people or employees do or become. Well, probably wrong is the wrong word, but why do they do or how do they become wrong?

So what do good people do wrong?

Yeah, that's the essence. So we know that when employees start, they have the best intentions, you know, they don't have an outside or an inside intention of doing wrong. So they come there saying, well, we're going to be loyal, we're going to work hard, we're going to cooperate, going.

To do the best we possibly can.

And then something happens.

Yes.

So that's what we want to talk about today. What's changed? What are the drivers that could potentially change their behaviour?

So the drivers. Essentially you can break the drivers down into two phases. One is internal to the organization and one is external to the organisation. So external to the organisation, it could be a change in finances, it could be a change in marital status, it could be a change in health, it could be the pandemic. Actually, the pandemic is a really interesting one because now all of a sudd, people who are working remotely have opportunities that are unsupervised in a lot of ways. So that's an interesting little bridge point as well, too. But then you also have your internal changes. So, for instance, if somebody got leapfrogged for a promotion that was promised to you, and you're still stuck in the same echelon that you were before, these are the kinds of things that can cause people to go, hmm, wonder what's going on.

Yes, exactly. So what would cause someone. So obviously we talk about a driver that would change their behaviour, but what would change their behaviour to do wrong?

It's a value. So everything that we do, all of our drivers, are driven by values. What's more important to us? What's more important to us? The ethics for work or something else? So, for instance, if there was a choice of values between doing the thing properly at work or. Or doing something that benefits, say, for instance, your son or daughter, these are two very powerful values.

Correct.

So the values, where you place your values is where your driver becomes. And when your driver becomes more important on a particular basis, all of your actions. Who's driving the bus? Is basically what I'm saying. When you're talking about drivers, where is the direction that we're steering? If our direction is now outside of the ethics of the organization, things start to Happen.

Alright, so let's talk as an example. Let's say someone who over time.

Yep.

Because we talk about creeping effect. So let's talk about someone who's maybe become a drug addict either through alcohol or through narcotics, for example.

Yep.

So.

So we've all heard of the term functioning alcoholic or functioning drug addict, which basically means that the balance between work, the ethics for work and the ethics for their addiction is nicely balanced. But at some point in time it will go over. I keep on talking about the chocolate cake.

Okay.

So you know, it's all right. I'm gonna have just a really, really small slice of the chocolate cake.

Yes.

And then maybe it's, well, that was really nice. I'm gonna have a bigger slice. Next thing you know, the whole chocolate cake's eaten. It's that kind of creep that will actually eventually take those kinds of addictions, if you want to call them that. Past the point of no return.

Correct. So the reason I mentioned it is because sometimes we talk about behavior that may seem or look like that they have no control.

Correct.

Whereas, you know, if for example, there are circumstances that they've run out of money, then there's an intention there. But someone who's going through maybe mental health issues or he's a cocaine addict may not have the full faculties.

Yes.

So his or her behavior is completely changed.

Yes, absolutely. And the focus of their behavior changes towards what's driving them. We're getting back to the concept of drivers again.

Okay, great. Which leads me then to ask the next question is so what do we define by wrong? Because what maybe with the organization looks at wrong and what the person themselves looks at wrong could be completely different.

Absolutely. And what is really interesting is it changes over time as well too. Because we can, as human beings, we have incredibly incredible potential for confusing ourselves or deluding ourselves that, well, you know, I've just done this. I've just come five minutes late to work, but that's okay. Tomorrow it's 10 minutes. And then all of a sudden you cascade into a whole different range of behavior. We as human beings have the capacity to convince ourselves along a certain pathway unless something re establishes our value to that.

Correct. So here's a follow up question. How do we know when something is something?

Ah, when something.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. So this is a key because, you know, what is maybe perceived in one organization may be not perceiving in another.

Correct, correct. It comes down to what is accepted by the organization. What is an acceptable thing. So you know that something is something. I know that sounds weird, but when it becomes a problem in the general functioning of the day to day process, when all of a sudden the report is late or the client hasn't been run back, or the account hasn't been fulfilled, or the payroll hasn't been run on time.

Yes.

So this is when you know that something is something.

Correct? Yeah, correct. So then the question is, well, I look at, from a red flag. So who's picking up on the red flags?

So there's no, for instance in a large organization, there's no possible way that a CEO will know that something is happening in the bowels of their organization. The people who are the most on the radar about that is the person sitting next to you.

Correct.

If you're suddenly sitting next to a person day in, day out, or you're interacting with a person day in, day out, you're the one that's going to notice a change in behavior. So that's where it sits.

Correct. Correct. What are the potential consequences then? So these red flags are not even picked up. And there have been quite a few insider threat cases that I will describe below this YouTube and I'll give you some examples. But what happens if these red flags are not being picked up? What are the potential consequences for the organizations?

An escalation. And look, you can have as minimal, if you like as a mini meltdown at somebody's desk to potentially life threatening situations.

Correct.

As America has found out to its, to its detriment many times.

Correct, Correct. So this is serious. And then we would, you know, and anything in between. So could be, could be a situation where the, the person said well I've had it, I'm moving on.

Yes. And taking a whole slab of clients.

Along with them or information or maybe that person is so disgruntled that they could sabotage the organization. So that's another avenue. So anything in between. So what can our organizations do about it?

So I think it's a grassroots level thing. So if somebody that you know is displaying behavior that is not like them, there's a, there was a campaign a while back about are you okay? That's a very valid question. And it's a very caring. So you know, are you okay? I've got the flu. Okay, fine, go home.

Don'T get distant.

Yeah. Or no, nothing's wrong. But if that happens over a period of time, obviously then that needs to be escalated to somebody who can do something about that.

Yeah. And so the question then comes back is how well do the peers or the people working around this person are capable of picking it up because you know, red flags appear quite a bit.

Yes, they do.

And around inside a risk, especially threats incidents before the actual incident takes place, there is a behavioral change that most have missed completely.

Exactly, exactly. So a lot of people actually avoid asking that question, you know, are you okay? Because there's no clear guidelines. So where do I go with it once I get an answer? So and that's why most of the time it doesn't exist. And it's also just a human caring element that needs to be.

That's such a, an important point because that permeates within the organisation. So if you've got an organization that lacks the caring, well, the chances of picking up someone's behaviour that is going through a hard time, it's very small.

Absolutely. So a recent example is, you know, one of the people comes in and says, and says nothing, which is absolute quiet, total silence. Roxanne doesn't even say hello. An hour later somebody asks, are you okay? Well I've just spent, I've just come back 5:00 clock this morning from intensive care because my wife has been sick all night. Oh my goodness me. Do you need to go home?

Yes, absolutely.

I would really love to go home. Hey, you go home now. You take care of your wife. That is are you okay? And that is caring. And that person will become much more embedded for the organization because the organization has cared for them. They'll care back towards the organization.

Such an important point. So let me come back. Who within the organisation then has that official title of being the carer of the employees? Because predominantly what we've seen is hr, very much more the admin type. They're not so much about managing the welfare of employees.

Correct.

So we know that for example large organisations or enterprise, they may have some form of employee assistance program.

Yes.

And that's great. But what happens to the mid sized organisations or smaller organizations where they don't have.

So just to be very blunt about it, most smaller organisations have no clue what to do with it. There is no path mapped out that says if we have one of these red flag incidents, this is the number of red flags that we're going to use as a trigger. Once that trigger has been passed, these are the escalation steps we're going to take. I mean we have contingencies for everything else except for that.

Correct. So true. So to wrap it, what is the key takeaway around here?

Talk to us, we can help you. If you're not having clarity about how you can handle the red flags. If your situation says, hey, I can handle red flags up to a point, but what do we do further? Please talk to us, because we can sit down with you and craft up a pathway forward for your organization that works for your organisation and be open to the fact that you have human beings working in your organisation that have all sorts of things going on for them, whether it's internal to the organisation or whether it's external in their own private lives. This still impacts what goes on for your organization.

So true. And from my perspective, I would very much highlight what you just said earlier, which is basically, don't be just focused on what you do, but sort of empower your colleagues, your employees to be also aware of what's going around. So if there's a person that's going through a hardship or emotional challenges, then asking that simple question, are you okay? And then just see, you know, how you can actually help them because that caring is so important.

Absolutely.

Yep. So look. So that's for me.

Fantastic end for me.

Thanks, Peter. And it's been a great video, I think, again. And look, all the details in terms of connection and should you need any help will be down below.

Fantastic. Thanks, guys.

We'll see you next time.

Cheers.

Cheers.