The study, which surveyed over 300 UK employers, also found that 35.2% of bosses have had to give a verbal warning to a member of staff, while 8.8% had to suspend someone.
When asked what they believe is the most inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, employers cite the following:
- Being physically aggressive and/or confrontational – 80.9%
- Turning up to work drunk – 73.5%
- Using illegal substances – 67.2%
- Sending inappropriate emails – 20.6%
- Getting angry with colleagues – 20.6%
- Flirting with clients/customers - 7.8%
- Turning up hungover – 5.4%
- Complaining about workload – 4.4%
- Flirting with colleagues – 3.9%
- Taking personal calls – 2.9%
Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments:
“Inappropriate behaviour from your employees should not be tolerated in the workplace. You want to maintain a professional and mature atmosphere in your company, and this simply cannot be achieved if your staff are acting inappropriately.”
According to the data, a staggering 96.1% of employers believe these are sackable offences. In fact, employers in the following industries are most likely to fire someone for this behaviour: legal (61.5%), education (56.3%) and hospitality (53.3%).
Biggins continues:
“Unfortunately, our findings reveal a shockingly high number of workers have been inappropriate in the workplace, possibly due to poor employee education. Saying that, there are some actions, such as turning up intoxicated or under the influence of illegal substances, which are simply inexcusable.”
“Educate your employees on what is deemed as inappropriate at work to avoid any grey areas. Their induction is the perfect time for this. After all, in a time of low unemployment and skills shortages, your company can’t afford to lose its professional reputation.”
