WORKPLACE INCIVILITY: WHY YOUR COMPANY ISN’T FULFILLING IT’SPOTENTIALUncivil behavior is a corporate virus that can destroy morale and disable productivity
Your HR department might be observant when it comes to demonstrations of unfriendly behavior in the workplace, such as harassment, threats, and bullying. These situations tend to be evident and noticeable, and so are addressed and resolved readily. However, an equally threatening form of hostility is likely to take root and causing significant damage to your company. This kind of hostility is becoming known in HR and performance management circles as “workplace incivility.”
The number of businesses experiencing workplace civility has increased over the past twenty years.
To best understand the danger of this sneaky and ambiguous form of bullying, we should first review what it is, the negative impacts it can cause, and what we can do to resolve the problem.
Workplace incivility can be defined as “a low-intensity wrong behavior with ambiguous intent to harm the target, in violation of workplace standards for mutual respect and courtesy.” This might come in the form of sarcasm, insults, condescending comments, inconsideration or rudeness. One thing to note about incivility is that it all too often goes unaddressed, due to its surreptitious or unclear nature.
The problems inherent in an uncivil workplace
The results of one study demonstrated that when people are exposed to incivility, the performance was a remarkable percentage worse. Another study revealed rudeness was linked to an unwillingness to share information and seek help.
Studies have likewise linked incivility to other workplace behaviors.
Over time, it has been identified to induce stress, difficulties in communication, employee burnout and decreased morale. Unsurprisingly, there is also a strong association connecting incivility and high turnover rates, which is notoriously costly to organizations worldwide. It has been assessed incivility costs companies $14,000 per employee annually, due to a loss of production. Incivility and rudeness can spread throughout a workplace
If you discover signs of incivility within your workforce, it is necessary that you and your performance management team act immediately. The study examined 70 employees who were given performance-based tasks and exposed to inappropriate workplace behavior. A study found incivility prompted mental fatigue, which in turn resulted in a loss of self-control, so the participants were more likely to treat others in a similar, negative manner, resulting in what the study termed “incivility spirals.” https://www.maxfront.com/academy/
How to Eliminate Incivility
There are a number of measures that need to be put in place to counter the effects of incivility in the workplace. One great place to start is to improve the quality and frequency of communication between employees. Large brands all across the world have made the switch to weekly feedback sessions, where performance and progress are discussed and reviewed. During those sessions, make it clear that the employee in question should feel free to bring up any office-related concerns that might be causing them undue stress or hindering their performance.
Digital Technology can also help solve the problem of incivility.
Employees require to be able to bounce ideas off each other in an environment that is creative, positive and judgment-free. Employees require a mix of communication tools to express themselves. One such solution is software that facilitates communication, such as performance management software, which can be used to keep up-to-date with colleagues and elicit feedback from managers. It should be recorded that with digital communication, should an employee have an interaction they perceive as uncivil or rude, they have a record that may prove necessary if the behavior continues.
Change can be challenging, and improving your company culture can certainly prove to be a challenge. However, little changes make all the difference and can be introduced today. If change is to take grasp within an organization, the HR department should be at the heart of these efforts. Your business needs to take a firm stand against inherent company incivility. It might be more comfortable to turn a blind eye to rudeness or to instruct employees to be less sensitive when it comes to conflict, but the only way to stamp out this behavior is to be proactive and make changes to your company culture.
Making excuses such as “he might be abrasive but he’s a good worker, so we let it go” or, “it’s just the way she is” aren’t justifiable stances. Their attitudes are negatively impacting those around them and need to be addressed if you are seriously looking to improve overall office performance.
By putting in mind the difficulties that arise from incivility and improving communication, you will notice changes within your company that will see it grow and excel.