Rudeness At Work

In my previous blog I addressed language policy's as a tool to assist employers in maintaining a civil and respectful workplace.  Civility, the fundamentals of courtesy, politeness and consideration, are critical to business.  The lack of civility leads to high turnover, lower moral and even a potential loss of business.

In 2011 a survey was published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior.  The survey, titled "Civility in American 2011" addressed civility in politics, education, the workplace, the Internet and the marketplace.   The real interest to me is the section "Incivility Goes To Work."  The study reflected that two-thirds of employees reported that their performance had declined as a result of incivility encountered in the workplace.  43% of Americans (four in 10) have experienced incivility at work with 38% reporting the belief that the workplace was "becoming more uncivil and disrespectful than a few years ago." 

Employers, take note.  As a result of experiencing rudeness, or just awareness, 67% of the respondents reported the need for civility training!  It is up to the employer to determine what is and isn't tolerated in the workplace.  But employees are asking for the education to understand how to communicate with each other and avoid creating conflict.

Statistics provided in the section Who/What is to Blame For Workplace Incivility reflected that the largest offenders were organizational leaders at 65%.   The stats for younger vs. older employees peaked my interest.   Does this present a framework for identifying age-related differences in work attitudes and behaviors?

• 65%  Leadership of the Workplace
• 59%  Employees themselves
• 34%  Younger employees
• 24%  Lack of employee rights
• 6%  Older employees

It is to be expected that a certain level of civility is fundamental to the operation of any business.   The survey reported that approximately 69% of Americans "have either stopped buying from a company or have re-evaluated their opinions of a company  because someone from that company was uncivil in their interaction."  There it is.  A direct impact to your bottom line!

Are there remedies for restoring civility?  Here are some basic steps that any individual can take:

• Active Listening (Listening to a co-workers perspective without interrupting; ask clarifying questions, reflect back understanding of views)
• Communicating critical feedback with consideration
• Assuming that everyone has the best motives
• Remember the small but important gestures - saying "please" and "thank you."
• Be aware of your tone and volume
• Be respectful, even in disagreement
• Maintain objectivity during conflict

In closing, remember the Golden Rule that your mother taught you?  When in doubt, refer back to those words of wisdom (or your mother).

Civility is NOT a sign of weakness.  Civility is about boundaries.