Workers who feel confident in their role and abilities are more likely to be good colleagues, ones prepared to go the extra mile, help out, or make their workplace feel more positive, research has suggested.

The study from Aston University argued that employees with greater ‘self-efficacy’ or self-confidence are more likely to engage in positive ‘citizen performance’ at work.

The study, published in the Personality and Individual Differences journal, drew on data from nearly 50,000 employees across multiple industries.

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Led by Professor Roberta Fida, professor of organisational behaviour and psychology at Aston Business School, it examined the relationship between self-efficacy, and what it termed “citizenship workplace behaviours and counterproductive actions”.

These include behaviours that go beyond formal job roles, such as helping colleagues, speaking up about concerns, and contributing to a positive workplace culture.

Employees with higher self-efficacy were “significantly” more likely to engage in citizenship performance, the research found.

Greater self-efficacy also helped to protect a worker against counterproductive workplace behaviours, such as disengagement, misconduct and aggression, the research argued.

Employees who felt more confident in themselves and their role were also less likely to experience workplace stress, the study suggested.

In turn, organisations that successfully enhanced and fostered self-efficacy through leadership, targeted training programmes and supportive workplace policies were more likely to report a more engaged workforce, reduced workplace misconduct, and a stronger ethical climate.

“Our findings demonstrate that self-efficacy is not only a predictor of task performance but also a key factor in shaping an employee’s broader behaviour at work,” said Professor Fida.

“Employees who believe in their ability to succeed are more likely to take initiative, contribute positively to their teams, and resist pressures that could lead to unethical or counterproductive actions.

“Encouraging self-efficacy in employees is not just beneficial for individuals – it has profound implications for organisational culture. Our study suggests that organisations that invest in developing employees’ self-efficacy are likely to see improvements in both performance and ethical behaviour,” she added.

 

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