PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to pin point the root causes for the deviant workplace behaviour in the government sector of Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachData collection for the research was carried out by interviewing and distributing questionnaires to 100 employees belonging to different Government organizations of Pakistan. The extent of researcher interference was minimal and research was conducted in a non‐contrived environment. This is a cross‐sectional study.FindingsAfter a comprehensive study, it is concluded that there can be multiple factors responsible for creating workplace deviance, e.g. financial pressures, lower job satisfaction, organizational injustice, organization environment, employee perception, etc. but the most important factors out of these are organizational injustice and job satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsAn important limitation of this research is that it was conducted with a limited sample and a small sample size. Future researchers should use a larger sample size for the research in order to explore new dimensions regarding workplace deviance in public sector organizations of Pakistan.Practical implicationsManagers can benefit from this research and can devise more appropriate strategies to make the employees productive. In order to overcome the deviant workplace behaviour, the managers should try to develop good employee relations, a congenial work environment and promote a culture of quality control circles.Originality/valueThe exact reasons for deviant behaviour in public sector organizations in Pakistan were not identified, thus solutions could not be formulated. This research pin points two major factors due to which deviation at work takes place. This paper is of paramount significance for managers experiencing employee deviance at work in government organizations of Pakistan.

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