Counterproductive work behaviour refers to actions by employees that go

against the goals and aims of their employer. CWB is not necessarily
malicious but it is always conscious it doesnt include accidental or
unconscious behaviours or incidents. The driving forces behind
counterproductive work behaviour can be very broad and include
environmental reasons, lack of training, employee personality and life
changes and external factors.

CWBs do not include unethical or illegal behaviours that contribute to an

organisations goals, such as an investment banker using insider trading to
increase the banks profit this would form part of unethical pro-
organisational behaviours (UPBs).

Perceptions of fairness in the workplace have been found to be strong drivers

of counterproductive work behaviours if a supervisor is perceived to have
been unfair then the employee may in future forget to flag up a potential
issue to the supervisor so that the supervisor gets in trouble if the issue
becomes severe.

Strategies used to manage counterproductive work behaviours (CWB) in the

workplace are common at the recruitment stage, where companies use
procedures like integrity screening and personality screening to identify
individuals who may have a history of propensity to CWBs. Among
incumbents, one of the biggest ways to reduce the incidence of CWBs in the
workplace is by enhancing organisational justice and balancing perceptions
of fairness.