Workplace Rudeness on the Rise; Causes
Low Morale, Turnover and Harassment Charges
Federal EEO Advisor,
June 2000
Cutting somebody off in med-sentence; berating a
peer or subordinate in front of others; routinely
interrupting another's conversation with nary
an "excuse me"; publicly questioning an
employee's competence. Does this sort of behavior
mar the workday at your agency?
If so, it's not surprising, says Christine Pearson,
a business management professor at the University
of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. According to Pearson,
who surveyed over 700 workers, workplace rudeness
is on the rise.
Federal managers work in a policy and legal environment
that should make them particularly sensitive to how
those on the receiving end of uncivil behavior respond.
Incivility can easily lead to charges of discrimination
and harassment.
"Incivility, failing to demonstrate concern
and regard for others, is a problem for many organizations,
although most are not even aware this is taking place," Pearson
explains. "But civility matters. The impact
of incivility is not limited to just the target,
it also profoundly impacts the organization as a
whole, with costs that can be directly measured against
the bottom line."
Pearson found job performance affected in a variety
of ways. The targets of incivility:
- Spent time worrying about the uncivil incident
or future interactions with the instigator
and wasted time trying to avoid the instigator.
- Deliberately become less committed.
- Did not involve themselves in tasks outside
their job specifications and expended less
effort to meet responsibilities.
- Were less willing to help others and reduced
their contributions to the organization.
And if the foregoing were not unsettling enough,
adds Pearson, in nearly one-half of the cases the
targets were unhappy enough to consider changing
jobs, and in 12 percent of the cases they actually
quit.
Managers and their agencies need to take notice,
especially if they want to reduce turnover, Pearson
says. But ferreting out incivility can be difficult. "This
behavior tends to be somewhat ambiguous - to everyone
but the target- and open to interpretation by observers." she
says.
The fact that employees who are targets rarely complain
also makes it easier to hide the problem. "They
are afraid they will sound as if they are whining
or they‰re concerned about retaliation, especially
since this type of behavior tends to flow from the
top down, which also makes them think there‰s
nothing they can do about it," Pearson says.
And all too often the silent victim may suddenly
turn vocal, with a discrimination complaint that
can have serious consequences for the organization,
and for managers who were caught unawares.
What can managers do to ensure a civil work environment?
Once you determine your approach is not contributing
to the problem, Pearson advises that you:
- Set expectations for how the workplace will
operate and what behaviors will be tolerated.
- Define and communicate expectations. Make
sure employees have a shared concept of "respect."
- Hold employees accountable for any transgressions.
This last step is most important, Pearson states. "When
somebody crosses that line, you must react. Once
you have drawn the line in the sand you must commit
to this or no real progress will be achieved."
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