Employees turning to technology to get back at bosses

As every HR department will know, there are always unhappy employees who feel disgruntled at the way they’ve been treated. But what they are having to deal with now are the new and creative ways these employees are seeking revenge.

With more technology in the workplace, holding sensitive and critical data, it presents the perfect opportunity for a sabotage mission.

Technology has made corporate vandalism more subtle and harder to detect through such activities as deleting files, changing information and copying sensitive data.

A report in the Straits Times highlights many of the ways employees are using to show their discontent in the workplace. Along with tech-based sabotage, old-school methods are still being adopted such as spitting in food, or using unclean items in food production.

Then there’s the case of the frustrated baggage handler at Changi Airport who swapped around 300 luggage tags on bags, sending them to the wrong locations. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail earlier this month after costing his employers more than $42,000 in compensation payouts.

The most common reasons for workplace sabotage are unhappiness over salaries, perceptions of favouritism, lack of training and the way staff are treated.