Distinguishing Between Work Attitude and Work Behaviour.

Work behaviour focuses on the actions and approaches that employees use to carry out their job and accomplish tasks. In contrast work attitude delves into thoughts and emotions including how employees perceive their job their relationships with co-workers and supervisors and their overall perspective on the organisation they work for.

Workplace behaviour refers to the actions performed by employees to fulfil their job responsibilities and achieve performance goals. Examples include collaborating with co-workers, from departments to complete a project and conducting inventory assessments for end of month reporting.

Attitudes have an impact on work behaviours both positively and negatively. For instance an employee with a work attitude is more likely to invest time and effort into their projects leading to improved performance. They tend to build relationships exhibit greater openness towards new team members and inspire their co-workers through their optimistic outlook. On the hand an employee harbouring a work attitude characterised by feelings of dissatisfaction, underappreciation or a sense of unfulfillment in their role may display behaviours such as decreased attention, to detail, excessive criticism, absenteeism or even negatively impact departmental performance.

Understanding the behaviour of your employees at work is crucial, for identifying opportunities to improve your companys operations, workplace culture and reputation as an employer. The actions and interactions of employees have an impact on a companys performance. Positive and professional behaviours generally promote productivity. Contribute to the organisations growth while unprofessional and detrimental behaviours hinder progress.

For a company to thrive it needs not qualified and trained employees but also individuals who are placed in roles that align with their strengths and weaknesses. Each position requires qualities and when individuals with work behaviours are assigned to these roles they are more likely to engage effectively in their work. Assessing work behaviours helps employers identify the candidates for positions.

Factors That Impact Job Performance

Various factors play a role in determining how well an employee performs their job. These include;

Cognitive Abilities; An individuals cognitive skills, such, as reasoning, verbal communication, computation and analysis greatly affect their ability to achieve task objectives.

Relationships; Employees tend to perform when they receive support from their managers and co-workers and are treated fairly. Positive relationships in the workplace can empower employees to excel in their roles.

Stress Management; Stress can sometimes motivate individuals to successfully complete projects if they have support and resources. However, excessive pressure without the guidance and support can lead to burnout and low productivity, lower work quality and other negative outcomes.

Work Attitudes; An employees attitude towards their work plays a role, in determining their behaviour and performance. Additionally the attitudes and behaviours of co workers can also impact an individuals output at work. An employees emotional state directly influences their performance.

Organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) refer to actions that employees take to benefit both their co-workers and the company as a whole. These behaviours go beyond the job requirements. They are initiated by employees who want to make a positive contribution, to the organisation.

Here are some examples of OCBs;

• Helping a colleague understand a task or assignment.
• Providing suggestions to management for improving workflow processes.
• Actively participating in initiatives within the company.

Various factors influence employees motivation to engage in citizenship behaviours;

• Interpersonal Relationships; Having relationships with managers and co workers creates a work environment where employees feel encouraged to offer solutions and assist their peers.
• Work Attitudes; Employees who strongly resonate with the companys mission and values are more likely to demonstrate OCBs as they genuinely find inspiration in the organisations goals.
• Age and Tenure; Employees, with experience and longer tenures may be more inclined to engage in OCBs as they believe their accumulated knowledge and experience can contribute value.
• Personality Traits; Outgoing and conscientious personality traits are associated with a likelihood of exhibiting organisational citizenship behaviours.

People, with these characteristics tend to contribute to the well being of the organisation and its members. Employee Absenteeism focuses on evaluating how often employees are absent from work. Understanding an employees absenteeism pattern can provide insights for employers helping them make adjustments to roles and responsibilities. For example if an employee frequently misses work due to family obligations offering work arrangements like hybrid options or adjusting work hours can enable them to fulfill their job responsibilities more effectively.

There are factors that can influence employee absenteeism within a team;

Health; Employees may experience illnesses or health issues that prevent them from working leading to absenteeism. Work Life Balance; Family responsibilities and personal matters can sometimes require employees to be absent from work. Attitudes and Engagement; Disengaged employees who are unhappy with their jobs may have rates of absenteeism compared to their engaged co-workers. Age; Younger employees often have rates of absenteeism than employees due, to the evolving nature of their lives and careers.

Employee turnover refers to how employees leave an organisation and are subsequently replaced. High turnover rates can be harmful, to an organisations performance, productivity. Can put extra pressure on the remaining employees. On the hand low turnover can foster a groupthink mindset and resistance to change or new ideas among the workforce.

Personality plays a role in shaping work behaviour and determining career success. It encompasses an individuals patterns of thinking, emotions and actions influencing how they approach their job. Understanding an employees personality can greatly assist leaders in providing mentoring and making adjustments to their roles that highlight and develop their strengths. Psychologists often categorise personality traits into what’s known as the Big Five. These traits help employers predict roles and provide support structures for employees based on their specific personality traits;

Openness; This trait examines an employees level of curiosity, creativity, willingness to embrace new ideas, as well as their adaptability to change.

Conscientiousness; This trait focuses on an individuals diligence, thoughtfulness, in tasks completion and overall work approach.

Extroversion; Measuring sociability and outgoing nature of employees.

Agreeableness; Assessing how well individuals get along with others display compassion or tend towards calculation and criticism.

Neuroticism refers to a state characterised by feelings of sadness mood swings and emotional instability. It is often misunderstood, as social behaviour or even a more severe psychological problem. However, neuroticism is simply a response to stress. Perceived threats in ones everyday life.

Individuals with levels of neuroticism are prone to experiencing mood swings, anxiety and irritability. Those who undergo changes in their demeanour on a day to day basis may have heightened tendencies due to the impact of stress in both their professional and personal lives.

Anxiety plays a role in the development of neuroticism as it relates to an individuals ability to handle stress and real or perceived risks. People dealing with neuroticism tend to overthink situations and struggle with finding relaxation within their own personal space.

On the hand individuals who rank lower on the scale exhibit greater emotional stability and resilience when faced with stressful situations. They rarely experience feelings of sadness or depression focusing instead on embracing the moment without engaging in mental calculations, about potential stress inducing factors.

Understanding appropriate workplace behaviour can be a nuanced matter as it may differ from one company to another. However, in general it revolves around fostering positivity, civility and respect to build relationships and support your companys mission and values.

Equally important is identifying behaviour. This typically refers to actions that have an impact on you, your co-workers and the organisation, as a whole. One example is gossiping, which may appear harmless but can actually tarnish someones reputation or create a work environment. Insignificant stories can spread quickly so it’s crucial to exercise caution when discussing co-workers.

Bullying is when one person exerts power over another. It can happen in the workplace through subtle tactics, like isolating someone socially or undermining their work. It’s absolutely unacceptable to engage in bullying behaviour at work. Displaying any form of bias is highly inappropriate. It often goes unnoticed in the workplace. Unconscious biases can affect decision making. Create tension. It’s important to keep a mind and avoid making assumptions.

When it comes to defence acquisition specialists professional judgment plays a role during source selections. It’s imperative to be objective when assessing factors such as risk, cost and performance because biases can lead to favouring offers and harm ones career. Addressing behaviour in the workplace may feel uncomfortable. Its crucial not to ignore it. Here are some steps you can take;

Foster a Positive Work Culture; Create an environment that promotes communication and doesn’t tolerate misconduct. Encourage employees to speak up about issues they encounter. Prevention starts with creating a culture.

Enforce Clear Policies; Establish policies regarding behaviour that explicitly define what is considered inappropriate and outline procedures, for disciplinary actions. Dealing with co-workers can be challenging, especially when collaboration is necessary.

Here’s a guide, on how to handle situations;

Take a moment for self reflection. Think about why you find it challenging to work with the person in question. Try to identify any triggers that may be involved. Understanding your feelings and reactions can help guide your response. Have an improvest conversation with the coworker expressing your concerns openly. They might not be aware of how their actions are affecting you transparent communication is key in finding common ground for successful collaboration. It’s important to maintain professionalism when faced with challenges. Avoid letting things escalate into negative behaviour in the workplace.

If your attempts at resolving the issue directly does not yield results consider discussing the matter with your supervisor or manager. Share how your co-workers behaviour is impacting your work and seek guidance on steps.  Clearly establish boundaries between life and work life. Demonstrate integrity by taking responsibility, for your actions. Develop self awareness and effectively manage your emotions. Learn more about behaviour and attitude by tailoring a training session for your team.