DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a co-worker who, at least twice daily, asks me questions about work processes that she was trained on repeatedly. She has been doing the same job for three years, so why all the questions?
I try to jog her memory politely and answer diplomatically, but then she returns with more questions. Not only is it distracting, but my supervisor encourages it. How should I handle it?
This 2020 question for Miss Manners highlights an employee wanting to handle a workplace frustration in a civil manner. Yet, this individual’s efforts to be polite and diplomatic are increasingly uncommon. SHRM’s Q2 2024 Civility Index found “U.S. workers collectively experienced or witnessed a total of 71 million instances of incivility each day in the workplace.”
The instances of uncivil behavior may be minor, but the overall impact can be major. This article explores the latest study’s findings and the importance of civility at work.
A focus on civility
SHRM’s newly launched survey reflects the association’s belief that “civility is a cornerstone of workplace culture that allows people and business to thrive.” Civility at work is transformative because it “fosters respect, empathy, and the productive exchange of ideas and opinions.”
On the other hand, the prevalence of workplace incivility does not bode well for organizational culture and employee well-being. With SHRM predicting “U.S. workers will experience or witness over 24 billion acts or instances of incivility at work in total for 2024,” attention to the issue is needed. Particularly in advance of an upcoming U.S. election and amidst increasing polarization of the country, wars and hazards around the world and protests at home.
Insights from the Civility Index
SHRM defines an uncivil act as “discourteous or impolite behavior,” which could include rudeness, gossiping, ignoring a co-worker, and using intimidating communication (e.g. yelling, berating, interrupting).
The research looks at acts of incivility in society and at work. Between the first and second quarter of 2024, the societal average score rose from 42.3 out of 100 to 45.6.
The workplace average score fell from 37.5 to 36.3. Yet these scores all still fall within the range in which “incivility is common.”
Whether it’s interrupting someone else during a meeting or taking their lunch from the break room, these acts of incivility have real impacts on the office environment. In the survey:
- Nearly two-thirds of U.S. workers agree or strongly agree that incivility reduces productivity
- 59% agree or strongly agree that incivility causes employee morale decline
- Workers in the “incivility is common” zone (Zone 3) were 3.5 times more likely to rate their organizational culture “poor” compared to those in the “civility is rare” zone (22% versus 6%)
- Incivility undermines inclusion with workers in Zone 3 2.5 more likely to feel excluded (21% versus 8%)
Those aren’t the only negative impacts. SHRM also found each act of incivility resulted in an average 31 minutes of lost productivity. Aggregating that across the country, the research suggested that “translates to a daily productivity loss of over $1.2 billion.”
Incivility can also lead to individual stress, worker absenteeism, and employee turnover. Workers in Zone 3 were most likely to identify job-induced physical reactions such as headaches or fatigue. They also reported poor work/life balance and increased dissatisfaction with everyday life.
No wonder SHRM found “over one-third of U.S. workers would accept a pay cut (averaging 12% of their salary) to work in an environment free from incivility.”
The Impact of Incivility on Productivity and Employee Well-Being
In a vicious cycle, incivility often begets incivility. When someone experiences rudeness or is talked down to at work, for instance, they are more likely to “pass it on” by being uncivil to someone else in the workplace.
SHRM’s data suggested incivility is most often influenced by factors such as the following:
- Differences in opinions on social issues
- Generational gaps
- Political viewpoints
- Racial or ethnic background
- Perceptions of the current state and direction of U.S. society and the economy
The region in which someone works can also impact incivility, SHRM found. Workers from the East South Central portion of the country reported experiencing or witnessing over three times the national average of incivility at work (1.26 acts per day compared with national average of 0.41 acts per day).
Other causes of incivility — which, it must be noted is subject to perception — include excessive workloads, tight deadlines, understaffing, and unclear policies.
One positive finding? Although incivility is apparently all too common, 74% of U.S. workers believe that their workplace is civil. That’s a marked improvement over the just 42% who says the same about American society.
What to do about it — politely, of course
Fostering a culture or respect requires organizations to prioritize empathy, communication, and conflict resolution. Look out for the next article in this series to learn more about how leaders and human resources professionals can work to create environments where all employees feel valued and supported. Our discussion of this important, timely topic wraps up with suggestions for employees on how they can best handle instances of incivility at work.
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