Do you look forward to
going to work everyday because it is an engaging and friendly atmosphere? Or
are you like the 86% of employees surveyed in a Jeannie Trudel study that said
they had experienced some form of incivility in the workplace within the past
year.
Unfortunately, incivility
in the workplace is a more common problem than most people realize, and it is
rising. This growing epidemic is not contained in just one particular industry
or even just from a supervisor. The uptick in workplace incivility could be
attributable to the pressures employees are dealing with under a still lagging
economy.
Employees have more stress
on them to be productive while working longer and harder, in most cases.
Employers must be cognoscente of this issue to avoid it escalating into more
aggressive or even violent behavior. Workplace incivility can have a major
impact on the company from organizational commitment, job performance, turnover
and retention.
The truth is very few
employees will actually report workplace incivility to their respective HR
personnel and/or managers. So it is up to the employer to keep a look out for
signs of this behavior.
First, every company needs
to make sure they have a specific and strategic plan in place to ensure
civility is a part of the corporate culture. It all starts with the type of
employees that you hire. Make sure you are screening for personality and/or
conflict management styles.
Then, bring your team
together for training on cooperation, role modeling and leadership. When teams
are seasoned on these traits, they are often more willing to work in
collaboration and are less likely to use uncivil behavior.
Incivility is a rising
problem in corporate America Todd Weyandt at todd@laihr.com.
