Day after day, everybody is exposed to various types of people with different personalities. Some can be kind and positive, while others are simply rude and forceful. For employees, most of the time they also have to deal with rude co-workers at the workplace. In fact, a study conducted by the Emily Post Institute, indicated that 77 percent of their 1,400 respondents said they experienced rudeness, wherein 55 percent of these participants admitted to be treated rudely by a co-worker.
The percentage seems staggering, although some may think that people would need to toughen up given the competitive working environment that we have now. However, the Emily Post study also showed that rudeness at work affected the employees’ productivity which resulted to loss time, lower profits and poor employee retention. According to the study, 18 percent of the respondents said that they lost time at work by trying to avoid the instigator, be it a rude co-worker or supervisor. However, around 31 percent said that they reacted to the incivility by worrying while at work, which affected their productivity.
This stretches the importance of civility in the workplace to foster better working relationships, as well as promote a positive working culture.
To learn more about the study and key business etiquette principles, click here.
