PurposeThis paper aims to review research about four forms of deviant employee behavior: unexplained absenteeism/tardiness, employee theft, incivility, and violence. It is believed that, when an organization and its managers are perceived to be fair and supportive, employee deviant behavior will decrease.Design/methodology/approachBecause the literature on employee deviant behavior is so vast, the typology of deviant behavior proposed by Robinson and Bennett to select and frame these four forms of deviance was used.Practical implicationsEmployees can behave in a variety of ways that are harmful to the organization, such as stealing, sexual harassment, or purposefully taking long breaks. Sometimes this misbehavior happens despite the best efforts of managers to enforce organizational rules, but managers can do more to prevent such behavior than just rule enforcement.Originality/valueThis paper identifies new reasons for managers to behave in a fair and equitable way toward employees. The point is made that such behavior is in a manager's best self‐interest because it reduces his/her subordinate's deviant behavior. Finally, specific and research‐based recommendations for manager behavior are provided.

To explore definitions, frequencies, and motivation for personal use of work computers, we analyzed 329 employees' responses to an online survey, which asked participants to self-report frequencies for 41 computer behaviors at work. This sample (65% female, 74% European ethnicity, mean age of 36 years) was formed by soliciting participants through Internet Usenet groups, emails, and listservs. Results support a distinction between computer use that is counterproductive and that which is merely not productive. Nonproductive Computer Use occurred more when employees were younger (r = -0.31, p < 0.01), had Internet access at work longer (r = +0.16, p < 0.01), and had faster Internet connections at work than at home (r = +0.14, p < 0.01). Counterproductive Computer Use occurred more when Internet access was newer (r = -0.16, p < 0.01) and employees knew others who had been warned about misuse (r = +0.11, p < 0.05). While most employees who engaged in computer counterproductivity also engaged in computer nonproductivity, the inverse was uncommon, suggesting the need to distinguish between the two when establishing computer policies and Internet accessibility.

The advent of the desktop computer has allowed organizations to help their employees become faster and more productive workers. Some employees, however, use their work computers in unproductive ways as well, such as sending personal email and playing computer games. We call this Personal Use of Work Computers (PUWC). Using a work computer for personal reasons deviates from many organizations' norms. In the current study, we surveyed employees at an educational institution and asked them to report how they use their computers at work. These respondents also answered questions related to their sensation seeking, impulsiveness, conscientiousness, and job satisfaction as well as demographic information. We found that people who use their computers in unproductive ways tend to be men, younger, more impulsive, and less conscientious. We also found that those who use their computers for riskier PUWC behaviors (like viewing sexual content) tended to have sensation seeking personalities.

The role of physical attractiveness in perceptions of sexual harassment (SH) was investigated in two studies. In the first study, 164 undergraduates were given a complainant's description of either a verbal or physical incident of SH. Photographs varying physical attractiveness of the alleged harasser and victim were provided. Results showed gender differences in perceptions of incident characteristics and an attractiveness bias for both harasser and victim. There was evidence that characteristics of the setting affected ratings of physical attractiveness. A second study with 211 undergraduates, utilized a formal grievance paradigm with attractiveness varied through verbal labels in the complaint. Results showed gender differences in perceptions, as well as a tendency for subjects to identify more with same gender stimulus persons.

Developing students who can apply their knowledge of empirical research is a key outcome of the undergraduate psychology major. This learning outcome was assessed in two research methods courses by having students read and analyze a condensed empirical journal article. At the start and end of the semester, students in multiple sections of an introductory research methods course and students in sections of an advanced methods course answered questions about a condensed journal article in a pre–post approach. Students in the advanced course significantly outperformed students in the introductory course at both administrations, and students in both courses improved significantly from beginning to end of the semester. Results indicate that using journal article analysis can effectively supplement assessment efforts for psychology departments.