Are bad workers contagious?

Fruit growers will be the first to tell you that a bad apple really does spoil the bunch. But does the same dynamic occur in the workplace, where one individual's actions adversely affect others? Based on recently released research, there may be some truth behind this age-old adage.

The analysis determining this to be the case was published in the Harvard Business Review after researchers examined the behaviors of financial advisors in relation to both their clients and fellow co-workers. Misconduct can come in a variety of forms, so for the sake of consistency, the study's investigators defined misconduct as complaints stemming from customers that resulted in monetary losses. They also looked at whether complaints directed toward advisors affected co-workers' performance.

Their findings proved illuminating: Workers were nearly 40 percent more likely to engage in misconduct if their co-workers also had a poor behavior track record.

Lead researcher Stephen Dimmock, associate professor of finance at Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University, noted the bad influence contagion is often even greater when co-workers have physical factors in common, like skin color or ethnicity.

"Thus, similar individuals, who likely interact more, have stronger effects on each other's behaviors," Dimmock wrote in HRB. 

75 percent of business owners familiar with bad workers
If you've owned a business for any length of time, you're more likely than not to have encountered a bad hire. Indeed, almost 3 in 4 employers in a Harris Poll say they've given someone a job who, in hindsight, probably shouldn't have gotten an offer. More than half – 53 percent – considered workers with poor attitudes as bad hires, and 50 percent said the same about staff members who clashed with colleagues.

Why do workers' actions so often mirror those of their cohorts?  Inc.com contributor editor John Brandon noted that if specific types of actions are considered easier or more fun to do, yet aren't reprimanded, others may view them as being OK for them to engage in as well.

"From what I've seen, the reason we tend to copy the bad actors is because we wait and see if anyone will reprimand that person or if doing something a little edgy will actually get us into trouble," Brandon wrote. He also chalked up poor behavior to people being naturally inclined to doing what's easier; it's far simpler to slack off or goof off than it is to buckle down and focus on the tasks at hand.

Why understanding workers' behaviors is important
Study author Dimmock stressed that getting to the bottom of why bad employees behave the way they do can help them detect red flags before they take root.

"Understanding why co-workers make similar choices about whether to commit misconduct can guide managers in preventing misconduct," Dimmock wrote in HBR. "Given its nature, knowledge and social norms related to misconduct must be transmitted through informal channels such as social interactions."

Dimmock further stated dissecting co-worker interactions can also provide insight into how workplace cultures develop and where managers may be able to serve as a positive influence. 

Managing personalities and productive atmospheres can be a difficult needle to thread as a business owner. Hudspeth Law Firm has the hands-on, been-there-done-that experience you can use to draw inspiration from. Whatever problems you're dealing with, drop us a line to find out how we can help.

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