Work avoidance is a psychological phenomenon which can be affected by outside sources, but which is in and of itself entirely internal. Work avoidance is where an individual, despite high external and internal motivations to get something accomplished, still avoids work and will not do it for any reason. What are some common reasons for work avoidance?
Perceived ability. If an employee does not believe that they are very good at a job, they will tend to drag their feet, so to speak, when it comes to increasing their abilities in that job and when it comes to doing further research to make that job better or step outside of their comfort zone with respect to similar activities. If someone does not believe themselves to be successful or even adequate to fulfill job roles, they will avoid that work because they deem themselves to be under-qualified.
Boredom. If the job does not offer any chance to mentally or physically improve themselves, employees may become bored with their work and find it to be a waste of their time and something to therefore be avoided. This is something which is quite common in particularly intellectually gifted employees and students who far surpass the intellectual requirements of their grade or level of studies.
Hostility. If someone is hostile toward their employer, their motivation for doing a good job in the interest of their employee plummets. Employees who are solely intrinsically motivated are not affected by this, because they do a good job for their own sake, not for any external influence.
In all three cases, drug and alcohol testing in the workplace can greatly benefit workplace atmosphere. Drug abuse will decrease one’s perception about their own abilities, it will encourage bored intellectuals to simply hang around without finding new ways to challenge themselves, and it will increase hostility and perceived paranoia toward role models and authority figures in the workplace. Therefore, it is a good idea to have a solid onsite workplace drug and alcohol testing program in place.
We are here to help you and to answer any questions which you may have regarding our onsite drug and alcohol testing services. Call Mediscreen today: (+61) 1300 79 70 40.
http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2002-18284-002
