Watch your back: your co-workers are watching
By QMI Agency

"Whether it's looking at a colleague's pay stub or snooping through your partner's personal belongings, we want the truth, even if it hurts." (Shutterstock.com)

TORONTO - You might want to keep an eye on your co-workers. It's getting mean out there, as a new survey suggests snooping, sabotaging and squealing is becoming common in the workplace.

The Harlequin Enterprises Ltd. Survey, which quizzed more than 3,000 men and women worldwide, reported that nearly half of us have taken a peek at a colleague's pay stub.

The report also says 15% of male and 10% of female Canadian respondents admit they've sabotaged a co-worker.

One respondent named Climber said, "I would do anything for a promotion over my colleague. I fantasize about ruining her reputation daily." Bosses should also look out, because 23% of men and women say they've revealed a manager's mistakes to their superiors hoping to further their own careers.

"We're part of an information-obsessed society," said Michelle Renaud, a senior manager of public relations for Harlequin Enterprises Ltd. and a co-author of the report. "We are programmed right now to look for the dirt." Renaud says social media websites play a big role in fueling our obsession with knowing each other's business because people are putting information out there and other people have access to it.

"Whether it's looking at a colleague's pay stub or snooping through your partner's personal belongings, we want the truth, even if it hurts," she said.


In the Harlequin Romance Report 2010: Tempted, it seems women are more devious than men. When it comes to looking at pay stubs, 56% of women admit to doing it, while just 39% of men say they've done it.

"It made me look around," Renaud admitted to QMI Agency, adding this statistic was one of the most shocking to researchers.

As well, 21% of women say it OK to embellish their resume, but for men, just 14% say they'd take a few liberties.

But while women are more likely to lie on a resume, 15% of men admit to taking credit for someone else's work in order to get ahead, versus 8% of women. As well, one in five male respondents (20%) and 14% of female respondents admitted to sabotaging a co-worker out of jealousy.

While the survey didn't look at whether people were sorry for their actions, Renaud said the survey is often a chance for people to get things "off their chest" and fess up to some not-so-nice actions.

"I bet some people do feel remorseful," she said.