ABSTRACT
On the one hand, work psychologists identify as “counterproductive” those worker behaviors that are at odds with company goals. On the other, many of these same behaviors can, from the worker point of view, be classified as “resistance.” Some of these dual-faced actions are reviewed in this chapter, including dropping out, refusing to work except in desirable jobs, refusal of specific work requests, underworking, social loafing, and malingering. Organizations set in place many rules and processes to keep such actions to a minimum, while on their side workers often seek loopholes or exceptions, or simply ignore what the organization “wants.” Each of the discussed aspects of employee push-back represents an effort by a person to gain some level of independence from the enlisting organization. Moreover, each behavior has intriguing psychological dimensions, and each might affect workers engaging in them in a positive or negative way, or both.
