Voluntary workplace behaviors among employees of high and low-performing banks

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a difference with the exhibition of voluntary workplace behaviors (i.e. organizational citizenship behaviors [OCB] and counterproductive workplace behaviors [CWB]) among employees of high and low-performing banks in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The quantitative approach was adopted to collect data from employees of selected banks from Ghana’s Club 100. The independent t-test was used to categorize the exhibition of employees’ OCB and counterproductive workplace behaviors by the type bank (i.e. high- or low-performing banks). Findings Contrary to the speculations of the study, employees of high-performing banks did not score higher in the exhibition of OCB compared to low-performing banks. Employees of low-performing banks were also not found to score higher with respect to CWB as compared to those of high-performing banks. Research limitations/implications The research adopted a single rating method of collecting data from respondents. There could, however, be a level of biasness from the employees’ point of view of their exhibition of both OCB and CWB. Future research should thus seek to use a dyad method of collating data from both managers and employees of employees’ voluntary workplace behaviors. The study only focused on OCB as having a positive impact on the performance of banks and CWB having a negative impact. Future studies could also peruse both positive and negative impacts of OCB and CWB on the performance of organizations. An assessment of the various dimensions of both OCB and CWB (e.g. OCB-I, OCB-O, CWB-I and CWB-O) and their distinctive impacts on organizational performance is also suggested. Moreover, the adoption of only the quantitative approach to measuring the variables under the study was also identified as a limitation. This made it difficult to further peruse the intentions of employees to either engage in OCB or CWB. Further research could adopt the mixed-method approach that will add to the rigor in terms of the analyses. Researchers could also explore the same relationship among other sectors such as manufacturing. Further studies should also be conducted to peruse what promotes or inhibits the performance of banks irrespective of the voluntary workplace behaviors of the employees. More so, further research could also assess whether the workload of employees can predict employees’ voluntary workplace behaviors. Specific to the banking sector and others with the same working environment, future studies can investigate the factors that inhibit and encourage employees’ exhibition of OCB and CWB. Practical implications It was thus concluded that even though voluntary behaviors of employees influence the performance of organizations particularly banks, their effect is not that significant. This could be as a result of the tight schedules, structured and controlled nature of work activities in the banks that make employees so occupied throughout their working day to the extent they have perhaps no time to engage in extra-role activities. This calls for the need for banks to further explore other opportunities that contribute to boosting employee performance. Originality/value The study provides an in-depth account on whether OCB and CWB of employees predict the performance of organizations, especially banks in Ghana.