Jack Jones, Ph.D.,  respected colleague and Vice President of Human Capital Sciences at Vangent (a long-time pan content partner) has a recent article in Talent Management on how poor economic conditions may increase the prevalence of problematic behavior at work. While some of the factors cited include the fairly obvious such as increased general stress and financial needs, he also outlines how more subtle dynamics such as decreased levels of supervision due to staffing cuts or even poor maintenance of a facility’s physical plant can also contribute. The latter may be related to the “broken window” concept in urban sociology which argues that if vandalized windows are quickly repaired, it tends to dissuade further acts of minor anti-social behavior in the neighborhood. Similarly, if there is an increased sense of disorder at work, it may influence the increased expression of deviant behavior.

The article goes on to describe the extent to which candidates will admit to specific counterproductive behaviors as assessed by the Reid Report with the most common  being fired from prior jobs, having multiple unexcused absences from work, and giving unauthorized discounts. A brief case example of ROI is provided citing a retailer that estimated an annual savings of $6 million by screening out high risk candidates.

Reid Klion