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Intentionally looking bad at work is a type of impression management in which employees purposefully attempt to convey unfavorable impressions. Drawing on the employment experiences of 162 individuals, we documented five forms of such behavior: decreasing performance, not working to potential, withdrawal, displaying a bad attitude, and broadcasting limitations. Motives for managing poor impressions were also documented. The management of poor impressions was discriminable from the management of favorable impressions and self-handicapping. We provide a preliminary framework for understanding the management of poor impressions.
Becker et al. (Wed,) studied this question.