Workers Irritate Their Way to Remote Work, Korn Ferry Analysis Suggests
A Korn Ferry analysis highlights a tactic where employees intentionally create workplace friction to secure remote work arrangements, particularly as companies push for office returns.
Some employees are reportedly employing a strategy of intentional workplace annoyance to secure or maintain remote work privileges, according to a business consultancy Korn Ferry. This tactic is emerging as companies increasingly mandate a return to the office.
The Korn Ferry blog post, "A New Career Strategy: Be Insufferable?", examines the behavior of an archetypal employee, dubbed 'Bob,' who aims to achieve personal objectives through disruptive in-office conduct. This includes passive-aggressive actions like tardiness to meetings, interrupting discussions, and questioning the validity or utility of assignments or company projects.
"Off-putting employees are discovering that their less-than-congenial behavior may have an upside for them: the opportunity to work from home," the post states. Management enforcing return-to-office policies might become less inclined to insist on regular attendance from employees exhibiting disengagement.
However, Korn Ferry experts caution that granting remote work to appease such employees carries significant risks. It may inadvertently reward negative behavior, foster resentment among productive colleagues, and undermine the company's broader return-to-office strategy. The consultancy advises managers to carefully weigh the perceived peace gained against the potential negative fallout.
Firms are urged to consider if the harmony achieved offsets the risks of normalizing undesirable conduct and to assess the long-term viability of retaining such disruptive employees, regardless of their work location. The underlying issues causing the behavior may persist even with remote arrangements.