The Cost of Lack of Civility at Work

by Dec 3, 2015

Incivility, disrespect, and rudeness are becoming rampant in the workplace, and the costs of such behavior chip away at the bottom line. In turn, the ones who receive such kinds of conduct respond in a negative way, further threatening civility at work.

Furthermore, incivility affects productivity and sales of an organization. Employers become less creative when they feel disrespected; employees loose the appetite to work if being bullied, while people are less likely to patronize the products or services of an organization they perceive as rude. To sum it up, a single unpleasant interaction may lead customers to generalize about employees, the organization, and the product or service. All these impacts could only be treated by building a civil workplace.

While many would regard incivility as wrong, not everyone is aware nor would recognize its tangible costs which prompt organizations not to regard workplace bullying solutions as necessary. Sometimes, victims of incivility punish or retaliate against perpetrators and even the organizations. Studies show that among the impacts of incivility are: decreased work effort, reduced working hours, decreased work quality, declined commitment and performance, or resignation. Some even reported that they take their frustrations from the clients or customers.

To learn more, click here for full article.

Civility is the platform for organizational success—it is absolutely necessary for an organization to reach its goals. Download our Ebook on Seeking Civility to learn more on how to create a workplace free of bullying and abusive conduct.

 

About Catherine Mattice

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is President of consulting and training firm, Civility Partners, and has been successfully providing programs in workplace bullying and building positive workplaces since 2007. Her clients include Fortune 500’s, the military, several universities and hospitals, government agencies, small businesses and nonprofits. She has published in a variety of trade magazines and has appeared several times on NPR, FOX, NBC, and ABC as an expert, as well as in USA Today, Inc Magazine, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, and more. Catherine is Past-President of the Association for Talent Development (ATD), San Diego Chapter and teaches at National University. In his book foreword, Ken Blanchard called her book, BACK OFF! Your Kick-Ass Guide to Ending Bullying at Work, “the most comprehensive and valuable handbook on the topic.” She recently released a second book entitled, SEEKING CIVILITY: How Leaders, Managers and HR Can Create a Workplace Free of Bullying.

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