‘How rude!’ Why civility training is needed in today’s workplace
Whether they’re called slights, digs, or insults — negative behaviors like these subtly invade everyone’s workplace at one time or another. This uncivil conduct, left unchecked, can seep into the crevices and infect a company’s culture from within.
Sixty-six percent of respondents to a March 2024 survey conducted by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) either experienced or witnessed workplace incivility in the prior month.
The most common forms of uncivil behaviors were when employees:
- Addressed others in a disrespectful way,
- Interrupted others who were speaking, and
- Micromanaged people to an excessive degree.
The survey also revealed that a mere 25 percent of the employee respondents said their managers were good at handling incivility.
Root causes of uncivil behaviors
Employees have been through a lot the past few years, and there’s no indication of things suddenly turning around and being rainbows and sunshine 24/7. Employers need to:
- Recognize that fact,
- Meet employees where they’re at, and
- Help them cope using the tools and resources that are available.
No matter the root cause of an employee’s uncivil workplace antics, the ramifications can spread like wildfire.
It’s like a negative version of that childhood book, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” by Laura Numeroff. Everything is connected. In the book, it’s a lighthearted story of how one small action (giving a mouse a cookie), leads to all sorts of silly experiences.
When it comes to unchecked workplace incivility, the outcome isn’t as warmhearted, for example:
- An employee who acts in an uncivil way can increase coworkers’ stress.
- Higher stress levels can lead to mental or physical health issues, which may lead to lower productivity or time off from work.
- When employees miss work, others need to pick up the slack and cover.
- Working more hours could impact morale.
- When morale is down, employees might start looking for another job.
- If employees find a better job elsewhere, then HR needs to fill an opening, and
- The cycle continues.
What is civility training?
The goal of civility training is to create more respectful work environments with less conflict. While civility training isn’t only focused on preventing harassment, that could be a component. Research has shown that incivility can be a precursor to harassment.
In contrast to anti-harassment training, civility training tends to give employees positive examples of how to behave, versus actions to avoid.
The training typically includes a focus on:
- Interpersonal communication,
- Conflict resolution, and
- Effective supervisory techniques.
In a diverse workplace, each person must take responsibility for individual actions to ensure the culture is fair and respectful for everyone. It’s natural to want to share and joke around, but if it causes someone to pause and wonder if it’s out of line, it probably shouldn’t be said.
To help employees figure out where that line is, employers can train workers to ask themselves:
- Would I want this person to say/do this to me or my child/spouse/parent, etc.?
- Would this person say/do this if other people were present? (e.g., supervisor or HR)
- Would I want the public to see this behavior?
How civility training is presented will depend on the size of the workforce, demographics, location, industry, etc. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
The point is to get employees to be more aware of how their words and actions impact others, and how they should treat everyone with respect.
Key to remember: Civility training in the workplace is the key to creating and maintaining a positive workplace culture.
