When employees take revenge on the company
Unkept promises, breach of trust at the workplace, the impression of being constantly ignored: Some employees then feel compelled to "pay back in kind": they take revenge on the company.
Showing up late to the office, working deliberately slowly or handing in substandard work: the opportunities for employees to take revenge on their employer for a breach of trust and unkept promises are many and varied. In fact, a large proportion of employees take the opportunity to exact revenge on their employer from time to time. A new study by WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management, the University of Liverpool, Singapore Management University and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad has shown that companies can counteract this behavior with the help of mindfulness training.
When employees take revenge
An astonishing 90 percent of employees in the USA admit to taking revenge on their employer from time to time. The authors of the study "Mindfulness attenuates both emotional and behavioral reactions following psychological contract breach: A two-stage moderated mediation model" assume that this magnitude can also be transferred to European and German-speaking countries. The triggers are considered to be breaches of trust on the part of the employer in the form of unfulfilled promises, which unfortunately occur again and again in modern everyday working life. They manifest themselves, for example, when an employer withholds from employees promised professional development opportunities (for example, interesting tasks, promotions), work arrangements (for example, flexitime or home office) or compensation (for example, salary increases or bonuses). This leads to hostile behavior on the part of employees toward their company, which causes billions of euros in damage to companies every year. Employees want to "get even" with the company and show less commitment, spend significantly more time on their tasks or no longer follow instructions from superiors. As the study shows, however, this effect can be prevented or at least greatly mitigated: The solution is mindfulness.
Mindfulness prevents revenge
About 22 percent of all employers in the United States already offer mindfulness training to their employees - with very good results and a decline in hostile behavior after a breach of trust. Mindfulness is a form of concentration that involves consciously noticing thoughts and feelings without judging them. Through the method, people learn to control themselves better and react less emotionally. Two mindfulness processes are critical to responding more flexibly at both the emotional and behavioral levels: the decoupling of lived experiences from the self and less automaticity in reactions. By decoupling, the self is less involved in one's own perceptions and the person is able to mentally distance themselves from events and experiences. Mindful people can therefore deal with negative experiences in a more neutral way and debunk their emotional impact. As a result, they react more consciously and less impulsively. In this way, they are able to look at an unfulfilled promise from different perspectives, consider mitigating factors, and be open to alternatives for resolving the conflict. Mindfulness training is therefore equally useful for employees and companies and helps to avert high economic damage from companies.
Tips for practitioners
- Malicious employee behavior can have a financial impact on your business. As a manager, you should therefore know how to reduce the likelihood that employees will react to a breach of trust in such a way that they damage your company. This is especially important today as employee expectations are increasingly not being met due to increased globalization, competition, volatility and uncertainty.
- Remember that mindful employees are usually less likely to react maliciously to a breach of trust. Since mindfulness can be learned through practice, companies should provide appropriate training to help employees self-regulate. This can help them cope better with negative work experiences.
- Note that mindfulness training should not be used to appease employees so that you or your company can continue to commit breaches of trust without fear of consequences. Employees can be justifiably upset after a breach of trust. It's not always possible to prevent negative experiences at work. However, mindfulness practices can help employees deal with negative experiences in a productive way. You should enable them to do so - to the benefit of all involved.
Source: www.whu.edu
