Work incivility

Work incivility, or workplace incivility, describes uncivil or rude behavior on the job. It is defined as low-intensity behavior but generally regarded as unacceptable. In other words, it may not be threatening or disruptive but negatively affects others and the workplace culture. Examples include rudeness, favoritism, jokes that rely on stereotypes, sarcastic comments, excluding or ignoring individuals, and disruptive actions that distract others. Work incivility might involve not answering calls or emails, texting during a meeting, sabotaging another’s work, spreading gossip, or demeaning or criticizing someone. It can also include inconsiderate actions such as leaving a mess in the breakroom or using all the paper in the copier and not filling it. While incivility does not rise to the level of bullying, harassment, or violence, many organizations and researchers still consider incivility to be a negative workplace interaction.

Incivility can lead to more serious harmful behaviors. In some cases, over time incivility rises to the level of bullying, which is incivility that causes harm over an extended period that targets an individual or members of a targeted group. Incivility may escalate and become harassment, or unwelcome actions based on another’s color, disability, gender, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, or ability. Harassment violates others’ rights and may have legal consequences. In some cases, incivility can escalate and may eventually lead to violence.

Overview

Work incivility can vary in levels of intensity. Individuals guilty of being uncivil at work are not always conscious of their actions. The motives of the actor and even awareness that one is being uncivil are not important in terms of the effects of such actions. Incivility may be entirely unintentional or so subtle that it is unnoticed by most coworkers and supervisors. Incivility may be of such low intensity that others are unsure if they are interpreting actions correctly. People may ask themselves if they are being overly sensitive, or supervisors may tell them they should not take a coworker’s incivility personally. However, even slightly uncivil actions can cause distraction and affect work and relationships, and often become much worse over time if not checked.

Workplace incivility can occur for many reasons. Dissatisfaction at work is a frequent cause. Unhappy people often experience stress, low morale, and even hostility, which can manifest as behaviors such as sarcasm. Incivility can further reduce morale and lead to greater incivility. A major source of dissatisfaction is feeling unappreciated, such as working for a supervisor who does not recognize employees’ contributions or even takes credit for the work. Researchers reported greater incivility in the years after the 2008 global recession, when employers made staff cuts; many workers who remained were expected to take on more work but were not compensated for doing so. This stress, and concerns about future layoffs, contributed to dissatisfaction and in many cases greater incivility.

There are many consequences of workplace incivility, including resignation. Employees who feel they are not respected may intentionally or unintentionally reduce output. They may lose interest in doing the work or may deliberately cut back on work. In some cases, as when an employee makes remarks about ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, or other sensitive topics, the employer may face legal action. Incivility in the workplace bleeds into other aspects of people’s lives. It causes anxiety and stress, which can lead to increased conflicts at home and difficulties such as trouble sleeping or concentrating. Individuals may dread going to their workplace and when they are there, they look forward to escaping.

The stress and anxiety caused by work incivility can manifest in physical problems. Fatigue, gastrointestinal distress, and headaches are some common complaints that can over time lead to major health problems including cardiovascular disease. Employees are more likely to miss work because of illness and may be unable to complete routine tasks.

Employee actions can affect a company’s status with clients or customers and thus its bottom line. When people from outside the workplace encounter workers whom they perceive as being rude to them or other workers, they form poor opinions of the business or organization. The unpleasant interaction is associated with other employees and the entire organization. It can damage a business or brand. It can also affect a business’s ability to recruit employees, because potential hires are likely to research a company and discover its negative reputation.

Work incivility—like uncivil behavior in other settings—increases when people do not face consequences. Lack of accountability emboldens individuals to continue offensive behavior and encourages others to do the same. Once a workplace has become rife with incivility, management is likely to struggle to set the company culture on a more civil course. It is more efficient to prevent work incivility than to correct it. Some studies have found that companies can spend more than 10 percent of their time addressing the results of conflicts related to incivility.

Supervisors and others in leadership can take steps to address workplace incivility and reduce the likelihood of such behavior occurring. Larger organizations frequently have a human relations manager who is likely to be consulted by employees, but smaller businesses may have no policies for reporting negative actions. Regardless of the size of an organization, leadership must model appropriate behavior and insist on civility. Leaders can educate workers on what incivility is and create and communicate respectful standards of conduct—ideally in an employee handbook or similar concrete form. Rewarding employees who model respectful conduct can motivate others to do so as well and indicate that the company takes civility seriously. Coaching and training in the workplace can help staff recognize incivility in others and possibly themselves, while open communication and feedback reinforce the supportive culture.

Research has shown that incivility was on the rise long before the global pandemic. Christine Pearson and Christine Porth published the findings of their research in The Price of Incivility (2009). They found that nearly half of employees said they were treated uncivilly in the workplace at least once a week, 10 percent of workers said they saw incivility daily, and 94 percent said they tried to get even with those who mistreated them.

Further Insights

Researchers rely on several methods of measuring incivility in work environments. The Workplace Incivility Scale (WIS) consists of seven items asking about specific types of behaviors they have experienced over the previous five years. The Uncivil Workplace Behavior Questionnaire (UWBQ) is more comprehensive but less frequently used. It consists of seventeen items exploring four factors: exclusionary behavior, gossiping, hostility, and privacy invasion. Specific actions about which respondents are asked include another person raising their voice or talking about them behind their back. UWBQ examines experiences during the last year.

In the twenty-first century, work incivility and toxic work environments—workplaces where incivility is rampant and frequently unchecked by those in charge—have increasingly been exposed and scrutinized. Many have been the subject of social media posts by former and current workers, and some companies and executives have been sued. A report by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) released in 2019 revealed that 58 percent of people who resigned because of workplace culture blamed their managers for allowing the situation to continue. High turnover costs businesses in terms of recruiting, hiring, and training new employees, as well as a loss of experience. SHRM, which reported this turnover cost US companies $223 billion over five years—or on average $44.6 billion annually—cited lack of communication between workers and managers as a major reason for unhealthy workplace culture.

Some prominent examples of employees demanding improvement in workplace culture have emerged. In late 2021, employees of the video game company Activision Blizzard staged a walkout. They cited the primary reasons as being the chief executive officer ignoring complaints of harassment, favoritism toward male employees, and sexual harassment.

Issues

Workplace incivility is not limited to interactions among coworkers. The onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to many instances of workers being treated uncivilly by customers or the public. Registered nurses, who were on the front lines providing care to patients, reported much greater incivility at work during the early stages of the pandemic than before. They also experienced cyber-incivility and incivility outside of work. Some of this incivility was from patients and their families. Many employees of the airline industry, notably flight attendants, also were treated rudely and in some cases physically assaulted. Much of this abuse was related to requirements to wear masks, which caused anger among many people. Many businesses closed offices during the first months of the pandemic and had employees working remotely. After more than a year, as some began to reopen offices, many managers and business owners noted increased incivility. Mental health experts said the prolonged gap in in-person communications coupled with anxiety, grief, and other heightened emotions contributed to difficulties in returning to workplaces—employees were out of practice in conversing or coping with difficulties. Many had lost loved ones or income, were frustrated by teaching children at home when schools closed, opposed vaccine and masking requirements, or believed conspiracy theories or online forums claiming the virus was not as bad as experts said. Furthermore, the pandemic and resulting public-health policies left many people feeling powerless, which led to emotional eruptions.

According to experts in the field, workplace incivility, bullying, and violence have plagued nursing for decades. As early as 1909, a doctor wrote that bullying and abuse of power among nurses endangered patients, and in modern times multiple studies have found that nurses bullying coworkers is a problem in many countries. The issue is such a concern that the American Nurses Association (ANA) has created reports and guidelines for members. The ANA warned that such lateral aggression, which encompasses incivility, bullying, and violence, destroys trust and harms patients. The organization notes that incivility includes such actions as rudeness, gossip/spreading rumors, and refusing to aid a coworker and may progress to bullying if it is not halted. It defines workplace violence as physically and psychologically damaging actions. The nursing code of ethics states that nurses treat everyone with dignity and respect and cites bullying, intimidation, and threats as some of the actions deemed morally unacceptable. Some researchers have found that up to one-third of nurses leave or think about leaving the profession because of bullying.

Experts who look at incivility in nursing single out some of the same reasons for the behavior. Nurses are highly trained but often feel they do not get the respect they deserve. In many environments, nurses are expected to follow doctors’ orders in all cases. Such treatment can make individuals feel insecure. Those who feel disrespected and powerless can lash out, displaying irritable, unkind behavior toward coworkers. In an already stressful environment, chronic understaffing and long hours without relief increase anxiety and shorten tempers. As in other professions and work environments, management plays a big role in setting the tone of workplace culture. Incivility often starts at the top. Despite zero-tolerance policies, the American Medical Association (AMA) notes that when the people in power are bullies themselves, employees feel that it is futile to report incivility or bullying. If disrespectful behavior is ignored, it will continue and often spread throughout the staff. Leaders who manage through intimidation or criticism are setting an example that others typically follow.

Some human resource managers and supervisors have noted that incivility between colleagues has increased in the 2010s and 2020s because of strongly held political beliefs. A 2022 survey conducted by SHRM found that 20 percent of employees reported being mistreated at work due to their political views. Human resource experts note that managers can avoid much negative behavior by reminding workers to avoid topics that can lead to conflict in the workplace. However, conflict sometimes emerges because workers believe their workplace has a political identity that is at odds with their own. Studies have found that employers often share political messages with staff. Conflict and resulting incivility may also be related to employees’ lack of control over the colleagues with whom they work and interact. Such issues are related to social identity theory, which is the idea that humans view themselves as members of social groups that share similar beliefs including racial, gender, or political ideas. In this way, they see others as either in their group (like them) or out of it (unlike them). People are more likely to treat members outside their group negatively. Political identity has become more important to many individuals and a strong indicator of one’s social group.

Bibliography

Berenbaum, Diane. "Workplace Incivility on the Rise: Four Ways to Stop It." HR Exchange, 23 Mar. 2010, www.hrexchangenetwork.com/hr-talent-management/articles/workplace-incivility-on-the-rise-four-ways-to-stop. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Bishop, Katie. "Why Some Work Environments Breed Toxic Cultures." BBC, 5 Dec. 2021, www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20211201-why-some-work-environments-breed-toxic-cultures. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Chen, Y., et al. (2019). The Multidimensionality of Workplace Incivility: Cross-Cultural Evidence. International Journal of Stress Management. 26(4), 356–366.

Gonzaels, Matt. “Workplace Incivility Is More Common Than You Think.” SHRM, 6 Mar. 2024, www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/inclusion-diversity/workplace-incivility-shrm-research-2024#:~:text=A%202022%20SHRM%20survey%20found,worsen%20in%20next%2012%20months. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Mayer, Kathryn. “As Political Tensions in the Workplace Ramp Up, Experts Call for Action on Civility.” SHRM, 14 Aug. 2024, www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/as-political-tensions-in-the-workplace-ramp-up--experts-call-for. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Mirza, Beth. "Toxic Workplace Cultures Hurt Workers and Company Profits." Society for Human Resource Management, 25 Sept. 2019, www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/toxic-workplace-culture-report.aspx. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Murrell, Audrey. "Stopping the Downward Spiral of Workplace Incivility." Forbes, 16 July 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/audreymurrell/2018/07/16/stopping-the-downward-spiral-of-workplace-incivility/?sh=47426e8154ef. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Paul, Megan. "Workplace Incivility." Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development. 15 Dec. 2021, www.qic-wd.org/umbrella-summary/workplace-incivility. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Pearson, C., and Porath, C. (2009). The Cost of Bad Behavior: How Incivility Is Damaging Your Business and What to Do About It. Portfolio Hardcover.

Porath, Christine, and Christine Pearson. "The Price of Incivility." Harvard Business Review, Jan. 2013, hbr.org/2013/01/the-price-of-incivility. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Zhou, Z.E., S. Pindek, and E.J. Ray. (2022). Browsing Away from Rude Emails: Effects of Daily Active and Passive Email Incivility on Employee Cyberloafing. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, DOI: 10.1037/ocp0000325.