Employee Sabotage in the Workplace: A Biopsychosocial Model

Abstract

Recently, there has been an increased interest in workplace violence. However, the psychiatric literature has paid little, if any attention to the specific subject area of workplace property harm or sabotage by employees. The specific psychology and/or psychopathology of the individual worker may be relevant in the evaluation of sabotage behavior. However, psychosocial factors associated with behavior within organizations and originating in part from the job itself are not likely to be considered in the initial assessment. We therefore introduce concepts from the organizational behavior literature that may facilitate and complement psychiatric evaluation of sabotage in the workplace. These concepts will fill the gap in a biopsychosocial assessment of sabotage in the workplace and provide a nexus for future interdisciplinary studies of workplace property violence.