The first article in this oh-so-polite series on keeping things civil at work shared a Miss Manners exchange about handling inconsiderate behavior at work. The etiquette guru’s answer? Refer her back to her supervisor. There was more context of course, but this highlights the important role leadership and human resources play in cultivating a culture of civility at work.
The Society for Human Resources’ quarterly Civility Index indicates why this is an important workforce issue. Some 36.3 of their respondents described incivility as common in their workplace. Those respondents were also:
- 3.5 times more likely to rate their organization’s culture as poor compared to those who said incivility is rare (22% versus 6%).
- 2.5 times more likely to feel excluded (21% versus 8%).
- Significantly more likely to consider leaving their job within the next year (32% versus 18%).
- More than twice as likely to feel unsafe expressing concerns (27% versus 12%).
- Three times as likely to be indifferent about their job performance (20% versus 6%).
Civility is a critical component of culture. So, people look to the top to set the tone. Yet, in SHRM’s study, “around two-thirds of workers believe their managers prioritize business objectives over how people are treated at work, and 62% report that they’ve seen a manager ignore acts of incivility.”
Impact of incivility at work
SHRM isn’t the only one researching civility and its workplace impact. The author of a review of 51 academic studies of the topic suggested the meta-analysis “underscores the profound impact of Workplace Civility on the overall well-being and satisfaction of employees. A workplace climate rooted in respect and civility cultivates perceptions of improved job conditions.”
The research review found civility correlated with “various important outcomes such as job satisfaction, work engagement, burnout, abuse, affective commitment, turnover intentions and plans, and absences, among others.”
It’s easy, even without reading 51 academic articles, to imagine the ways in which incivility impacts your team. Bullying behavior or rude comments undermine open communication. This can disrupt team collaboration. When employees don’t feel respected by their colleagues, they’re also less likely to offer input that could otherwise lead to business innovation or improved processes. Incivility challenges trust. People who don’t trust their peers will question their motives and intentions, which undermines team cohesion.
Knowing that civility significantly impacts employee experience, what can leaders and human resources teams do to address incivility at work? It would be rude to leave you hanging. The next section shares strategies that can help.
Strategies to promote civility at work
The people who set the tone for culture at work can promote a civil work environment in several ways. Modeling respectful behavior and setting boundaries around discussions that could lead to incivility (e.g., political viewpoint or perceptions of the current state and direction of U.S. society and the economy) is a good start. This helps set expectations that employees will engage in respectful communication.
Human Resources can help establish a foundation for a professional and respectful culture with clear policies around courtesy. Discussing proper management of workplace conflict in the employee handbook you give out at onboarding can make an early start on nurturing a positive work environment.
It’s also important to foster a community where people feel that they can come to you with concerns. Establish and monitor channels to encourage employees to report incidents of misconduct without fear of reprisal. These must be confidential and accessible to all employees. Then, ensure your enforce your policies and work to swiftly resolve issues and reach a positive resolution.
Speaking of positives, recognizing employee behaviors that fortify civility is another way to emphasize the importance of professionalism and respect. Adding acknowledgement of acts of kindness, for instance, can help nurture a workplace culture that values civility and encourages such behavior from its employees.
Types of intervention
Employee recognition programs may be viewed as intervention as they support employee engagement, which counters turnover. Perhaps surprisingly, the academic literature review, determined that “the longer someone stays in an organization, the more civil they tend to become, potentially due to deeper emotional bonds formed over time.”
Additionally, raising awareness of the importance of civility at work and helping people to recognize and address uncivil behavior can empower your employees. Particularly, training around diversity has been found to play an important role in equipping employees to treat each other with respect and courtesy.
Focused leadership development can also help. By providing training and resources in conflict management and other managerial capabilities, you set up your leaders to effectively handle workplace
Programs to address workplace stress are also vital to countering incivility. When employees have healthy outlets for physical and mental stress, they are less likely to demonstrate the behaviors that can be perceived by others as uncivil.
Prioritizing a civil work culture
It’s Pollyanna-ish to say, “Can’t we all just get along?” Regrettably, it’s not that simple and — judging by the Civility Index’s findings — it’s only growing more difficult. This leaves human resources and leadership in a prime position to commit to crafting a civil workplace.
Incivility at work can’t go unattended. With the strategies and interventions in this article, your business can combat incivility and foster a positive work environment. Look out next for an article providing employees with input on how to handle incivility effectively.
Want to know what you can do to nurture a thriving organizational atmosphere? Sogolytics can help you take the pulse of your people and build a deeper understanding of employee experience in your workplace.
