{"id":62034,"date":"2024-10-01T08:09:42","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T12:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/?p=62034"},"modified":"2025-02-03T05:14:39","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T10:14:39","slug":"incivility-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/incivility-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Incivility At Work An Increasing Problem: SHRM"},"content":{"rendered":"

DEAR MISS MANNERS<\/em>: 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?<\/p>\n

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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?<\/p>\n

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This 2020 question for Miss Manners<\/a> highlights an employee wanting to handle a workplace frustration in a civil manner. Yet, this individual\u2019s efforts to be polite and diplomatic are increasingly uncommon. SHRM\u2019s\u202fQ2 2024 Civility Index found \u201cU.S. workers collectively experienced or witnessed a total of 71 million instances of incivility each day in the workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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A focus on civility<\/h2>\n

SHRM\u2019s newly launched survey reflects the association\u2019s belief<\/a> that \u201ccivility is a cornerstone of workplace culture that allows people and business to thrive.\u201d Civility at work is transformative because it \u201cfosters respect, empathy<\/a>, and the productive exchange of ideas and opinions.\u201d<\/p>\n

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On the other hand, the prevalence of workplace incivility does not bode well for organizational culture and employee well-being<\/a>. With SHRM predicting \u201cU.S. workers will experience or witness over 24 billion acts or instances of incivility at work in total for 2024,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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Insights from the Civility Index<\/h2>\n

SHRM defines an uncivil act as \u201cdiscourteous or impolite behavior,\u201d which could include rudeness, gossiping, ignoring a co-worker, and using intimidating communication (e.g. yelling, berating, interrupting).<\/p>\n

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The research<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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The workplace average score fell from 37.5 to 36.3. Yet these scores all still fall within the range in which \u201cincivility is common.\u201d<\/p>\n

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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:<\/p>\n

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