Destructive Workplace Deviance in the Farming Sector, South Africa

Abstract

In today's world of work, understanding destructive deviant workplace behaviours becomes more significant for organisations as they attempt to recover from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Destructive deviant behaviour in organisations has received more focus in recent years due to its negative repercussions, which inhibit growth. However, it has rarely been studied in the farming sector, even though the sector is considered to be the main contributor towards bringing economic stability, especially in Africa. This paper explores the forms of farmworkers’ destructive deviant behaviours that threaten the well-being of the farms in order for management to be in a better position to effectively manage them. A narrative approach to inquiry was adopted in order to understand the farmworkers’ views and experiences in relation to their engagement in various forms of destructive deviant behaviours at their workplace. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 39 farmworkers. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data and twelve themes were created in relations to the forms of destructive deviant actions that farmworkers engaged in. These themes include; putting little effort, incomplete work, sleeping on duty, extending break, using wrong working methods, ignorance of safety procedures, being under influence of alcohol, late coming, verbal fights, physical fights, theft and abscondment. The themes were further grouped into two categories, namely, interpersonal deviance and organisational deviance. An insight in relation to the various forms of destructive workplace deviance can enable management to develop appropriate managerial strategies that would minimise workers’ tendencies to engage in destructive deviant behaviours and jeopardise the well-being of organisations.