Workplace incivility is on the rise, and it’s taking a serious toll on employees and organizations alike. A recent SHRM survey found that:

• 66% of employees have experienced or witnessed incivility in their workplace within the past month.
• 57% have encountered it within just the past week.

What is Incivility?

Incivility is simply a fancy term for rudeness, disrespect and unprofessional behavior. It can be as obvious as publicly criticizing a team member or as subtle as ignoring a coworker’s input. Unfortunately, these behaviors have become far too common in today’s workplaces – and in society as a whole.

Common workplace incivilities include:

• Taking credit for others’ work
• Passing blame to avoid accountability
• Sending bad news via email to avoid confrontation
• Talking down to colleagues
• Ignoring or failing to listen to others
• Eye rolling, sighing loudly or other dismissive nonverbal cues
• Arriving late or leaving meetings without explanation
• Withholding information to hinder a coworker’s success
• Prioritizing easy tasks while dumping difficult ones on others
• Forwarding emails to make someone look bad

The Cost of Incivility

Unchecked incivility doesn’t just create a toxic culture – it directly impacts performance. According to research published in Harvard Business Review:

• 47% of employees who experienced incivility reduced their time at work.
• 38% deliberately decreased the quality of their work.
• 80% lost work time worrying about an uncivil incident.
• 63% avoided the offender instead of focusing on work.
• 66% admitted that their performance suffered.
• 78% felt less committed to their organization.

With numbers like these, it’s clear that organizations can’t afford to ignore the issue. Some companies are even appointing Civility Ambassadors to promote respectful workplace behavior. But, shouldn’t we all be ambassadors for civility?

5 Steps to Combat Incivility at Work

1. Hire for civility: Assess interpersonal skills during the hiring process. If a candidate shows red flags – no matter how strong their technical skills – don’t hire them.
2. Provide training: Offer training on empathy, active listening, conflict resolution and respectful communication.
3. Develop leaders: Equip managers with the skills to model and enforce respectful behavior. Leaders must set the tone for workplace culture.
4. Recognize and reward civility: Celebrate employees who demonstrate respect, teamwork and appreciation for others.
5. Establish clear norms: Foster team discussions on workplace respect and empower employees to hold each other accountable.

Creating a culture of civility isn’t about enforcing rules – it’s about fostering an environment where employees feel valued, respected and motivated to do their best work.