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Don't even think about revenge at work
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Most of the employees who decide to carry out sabotage do it before they actually get escorted out of the building, says Dawn Cappelli, senior member of the technical staff at Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute’s CERT program, where her team looks at cybercrime committed by current or former employees or contractors.
“We had one case in a telecommunications company where an employee planted a logic bomb and let it sit there for six months until he found another job,” she explains. When the logic bomb — also known as a time bomb, software code written to do something malicious to a computer system — went off, it disrupted service for the company’s customers and wreaked havoc until the IT folks figured out what it was.
It’s hard to know exactly how many sabotage cases like this have occurred, Cappelli says, because most companies, about 74 percent, never report such breaches. It's bad for public relations. Investors and customers may look at the breach by an insider as a sign of lax security.
That reluctance to report the sabotage to law enforcement means that many of these cases don’t end up in court or jail time for those workers who perpetrate the sabotage, experts say.
But, as the electronic age has made it easier for workers to sabotage an employer’s business, it’s also made it easier for prospective employers to check you out.
So the last thing you need is to be known in the industry as a worker who took revenge on his or her managers, says Barbara Kate Repa, author of “Your Rights In The Workplace.” You risk your own work reputation. The work world is a small world, and that kind of bad karma is going to follow you around and muddy your tracks for good.”
Talk to your manager
If you suspect layoffs maybe coming or were not paid a bonus you were expecting, Repa suggests sitting down with your manager to discuss the matter, rather than stewing in anger.
And do it without whining, she adds. Come to the table with some suggestions of how you can make things better, for your department and yourself.
From the manager’s perspective, it’s a good idea to tell workers exactly why certain actions are being taken so they aren't left wondering “Why me?” That just gives employees “room to spin conspiracy theories,” adds Harvey. If they know it was just part of a bigger cost-cutting measure, they’re not as likely not to take it personally.
We all get angry and frustrated. “But some people’s snapping point is lower than others. How a person handles things varies,” Harvey explains.
In many cases of sabotage, Cappelli says, the employees feel remorseful in the end. “Everyone we talked to said, ‘If I had to do it again I never would have done this.’ ”
But, she adds, some workers may be predisposed to this type of behavior. They tend to have one or two common personality characteristics: They can’t take criticism, and they typically don’t get along well with colleagues at work. “Something happens that sets them off; pay problems, layoffs, etc.,” she adds.
There’s nothing wrong with a little revenge daydream, says Harvey. “It’s when you get to the point where you’re planning out the steps that you’re going to take to get that revenge that you probably reached the point where things are getting out of control.”
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