Organizational behavior is termed to as the study of human interactions within a company. Employees have to ensure that they behave in a manner that reflects the conduct that is described in the corporate culture. Poor employee habits tend to have a negative effect on the productivity of an organization. Some of these habits include absenteeism, lateness, lack of respect to fellow colleagues and engaging in corporate scandals among others. Most companies around the world have implemented measures that are aimed at dealing with unhealthy employee habits. However, some firms view addressing the issue as a waste of time that may further lead to poor workplace collaboration. In this paper, an assessment is conducted on whether a firm has the right to ban unhealthy employee habits in and out of the workplace.
Body
Argument in favor of banning unhealthy employee habits
Unhealthy employee habits inside and outside the workplace have to be banned and this is attributed to various reasons. Firstly, the poor employee habits contribute to the deterioration in brand reputation and image. The conduct of the workers is an instrumental aspect of any company. Consumers and investors will always be attracted to an organization where the behavior of the workers is in line with the set goals and visions. In the event of practices such as drug abuse by the employees, absenteeism and the failure by the workers to meet the set targets, the brand reputation of the firm will always be on the decline (Foot, Hook & Jenkins, 2016). In the quest for ensuring that the reputation of a company is strengthened, it is necessary for the organizational heads to implement policies that will be critical in the banning of unhealthy employee habits inside and out of the workplace.
Unhealthy employee habits will always contribute to a decline in the productivity of the workers. A company that tolerates conducts such lack of integrity and honesty, lateness and absenteeism have to deal with challenges of reduced productivity among its employees. Such employees will find it hard to meet the set goals and objectives. Subsequently, their performance will reduce significantly. Companies are tasked with the role of banning unhealthy employee habits with the aim of strengthening the productivity of their workers. Firms that fail to implement necessary measures aimed at dealing with the issue may fail to meet their visions. Shareholders will always prefer injecting their funds in a company that value integrity and transparency. However, poor habits among the workers will always push away investors and this has a negative effect on the performance of a company.
Unhealthy employee habits inside and outside an organization may contribute to a reduction in the attraction of skilled and talented workers. Moreover, the issue may cause a decline in the retention rates among the employees. Employees will always prefer working in a company that values workers and where there is respect among the employees. However, issues of absenteeism, lateness and corporate scandals may lead to high levels of resignation among talented employees. Additionally, based on the firm’s poor reputation, the companies may be faced with the challenge of attracting talented workers. Low retention rates and recruitment of workers that are not highly qualified and skilled has a negative effect on the performance of a company (Niles, 2013). The organizational leadership thus has the right to ban unhealthy employee habits inside and outside the workplace.
A company that has a strengthened collaboration among the employees will always benefit from an improvement in financial performance. However, unhealthy habits at the workplace such as gender and racial discrimination will always have a negative effect on social interactions among workers. Such a company will always be faced with conflicts that will always reduce the motivation levels of the employees. In the event of racial discrimination, a section of the workers will always feel unappreciated and this contributes to their reduced productivity. Collaboration among the employees in a firm a firm that is marred with issues of unhealthy employee habits will significantly reduce (Ivancevich & Konopaske, 2013). Consequently, this will contribute to a reduction in the productivity of the workers. Banning of poor conduct among the workers is a step that leaders within a company have to embrace.
Arguments against the banning of unhealthy employee habits
Unhealthy employee habits are an issue that is experienced by various companies around the world, some of which tolerate the act. Organizational leadership in some of the firms are hesitant to implement measures that will effectively deal with the issue. In this section, an assessment is conducted on the arguments against the decision by firms to ban unhealthy employee habits.
The decision by some of the firms around the world to tolerate poor conducts among the employee is caused by the repercussion that will come along with their actions. Banning of unhealthy conduct may cause divisions among the workers. Implementation of rules that are aimed at banning unhealthy employee conducts such as absenteeism may contribute to a reduction in the social interaction between the senior and junior employees. The employees found guilty in engaging in the habits will always feel targeted by the policy makers within the firm and this may act as a source of long-lasting conflicts between the management and the junior employees (Ivancevich & Konopaske, 2013). Such companies thus prefer to avoid banning unhealthy employee habits fearing that it may lead to divisions among the employees.
Toleration of poor and unethical conduct among the employees in some of the companies is also caused by the corporate culture that is implemented. Organizational cultures of some firms are structured in such a way that they allow for the employees to lead freestyle lives at the workplace as long as they meet the set goals and objectives. Such companies will always tolerate lateness and absenteeism among their workers. Additionally, issues of lack of transparency inside and outside the workplaces are usually. Nevertheless, by abiding by the corporate culture, the organizational leadership tends to implement policies that will deal with the unhealthy habits among the workplaces (Ivancevich & Konopaske, 2013). The failure by the leaders to implement measures aimed at dealing with the challenge of poor conduct in the name of focusing on increased productivity may in the long-term work against the companies.
Another argument against banning unhealthy employee practices is because of the costs that an organization may have to incur in making adjustments on the corporate culture and the implementation of new policies. Some companies are hesitant in addressing the issue because of the fear of high expenses that they will have to incur in outsourcing experts to train the workers about the essence of healthy habits. Moreover, the firms may have to incur additional costs for incorporating new policies. Other than costs, issues of resistance among a section of the employees serve as obstacles for dealing with the challenge of poor conducts and practices among the employees.
Conclusion
The employees of any company play an integral role in the determination of its success or failure. Some firms tolerate unhealthy employee practices arguing that any efforts to implement measures aimed at addressing the issue may contribute to divisions among the employees and a decline in their productivity. Factors such as high costs of implementing new policies and resistance to change among the employees also make it hard for companies to deal with unhealthy employee habits. However, companies have the right to ban unhealthy employee practices inside and outside the workplaces. There are various benefits that come along with the implementation of policies that are aimed at improving the conduct of the employees. Firstly, healthy habits among the workers within and outside the perimeters of a company contribute to an increase in the productivity of the organization. The level of collaboration among the employees will be enhanced and this in return makes it easier for them to meet their productivity. Another benefit of banning unhealthy employee habits is that it leads to an improvement in a firm’s retention rate and its ability to attract skilled and talented workers. Finally, companies need to focus on cultivating the culture of healthy employee habits because it strengthens the firm’s brand image and reputation and attracts more investors on board to inject their investments into the company. From both a broader and in-depth perspective, it is thus evident that banning of unhealthy employee practices is an initiative that all companies have to embrace in strengthening their productivity.
References
Foot, M., Hook, C., & Jenkins, A. (2016). Introducing human resource management. New York: Pearson.
Ivancevich, J., & Konopaske, R. (2013). Human resource management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Niles, N. J. (2013). Basic concepts of healthcare human resources management. Burlington, MA: Jones Bartlett Learning.
