Perceptions of the Broken Window Effect among Employees across Organizations

Abstract

This study examined employees’ perceptions of the Broken Window Effect across different organisational sectors and assessed how minor workplace issues are perceived in relation to organisational culture, employee behaviour, and organisational effectiveness. A descriptive survey design was employed, and data were collected from 199 employees working in educational, healthcare, corporate, and government organisations. The study used a self-developed instrument, the Broken Window Effect in Organisations Scale, to measure employees’ perceptions of minor workplace concerns, including missed deadlines, poor communication, lack of punctuality, workplace disorder, non-compliance with organisational rules, delayed responses to problems, inconsistent policy enforcement, and their perceived organisational consequences. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation, independent-samples t-test, and one-way analysis of variance. The findings showed that employees recognised the presence of minor workplace problems and perceived these issues as relevant to organisational functioning. Significant differences were observed across selected demographic and organisational characteristics, including gender, educational qualification, marital status, employment type, organisation size, location, and years of experience. The instrument demonstrated high internal consistency, indicating its suitability for assessing perceptions of workplace disorder. The study highlights the importance of addressing minor organisational issues promptly through effective leadership, clear communication, consistent policy enforcement, and the maintenance of workplace standards to support employee morale and organisational effectiveness.