Workplace rudeness is common and costly - Your Life - Brief Article

Rudeness and bad manners have become alarmingly common in the American workplace, according to research by psychologist Lilia M. Cortina, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, who found that 71% of workers surveyed have been insulted, demeaned, ignored, or otherwise treated discourteously by their coworkers and superiors. Employees who experience uncivil treatment report lower job satisfaction and are more likely to withdraw from their jobs by being tardy repeatedly, taking unnecessary sick days, or simply not working very hard.

"When employees speak up about rudeness from their superiors, they experience both social and professional retaliation," notes Cortina. "When they are silent, they experience a higher level of psychological problems, including depression and anxiety. So there's a real dilemma about how to respond.... This kind of behavior is pervasive. Since we asked about rude treatment in the last five years, the incidence rate is, if anything, an underestimate. Also, we didn't ask about rudeness from the public, delivery people, or others from outside the organization, just from coworkers and superiors."

The researchers found that females were slightly more likely to be targets of incivility than males, with sexually harassing comments often a part of the boorish, ill-mannered treatment women experienced. Moreover, the more powerful people in the organization were responsible for a disproportionate number of the incidents.

Cortina and Vicki Magley of DePaul University, Chicago, Ill., analyzed what happened to employees who either spoke up against rude treatment or chose to keep silent, telling themselves just to ignore the rudeness or forget about it. Speaking out included confiding in colleagues to seek support and sympathy for rude treatment they had received, and directly confronting the rude person to demand an apology or assurance that the behavior would stop. For a few employees, speaking out involved a complaint or grievance to the organization.

The impact of speaking out was strongly related to the social position of the target and the investigator. When lower-status employees voiced opposition to incivility by higher-status colleagues, professional and social retaliation were likely. Professional retaliation included denial of promotions or training opportunities, unfair discipline, and less-desirable job duties. Social retaliation involved slights, ostracism, and gossip. When the social status of target and instigator were similar, objecting to rudeness was much less likely to trigger these negative consequences.

The researchers found that the cost of keeping silent was also high. Those who said nothing did not experience professional or social retaliation, but reported significantly more psychological and health complaints, such as nervousness, sadness, or frequent minor illnesses. "Given these patterns," notes Cortina, "it's clear that organizations need to establish climates that empower employees to speak up and ensure the safety of doing so."

COPYRIGHT 2002 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group