The Cost of Incivility

By Dody Tsiantar

At work, do you feel a little like the late Rodney Dangerfield? Well, you're not alone. Almost 80% of employees believe they get no respect at work, according to a report recently published in one of the Academy of Management's journals--and 60% think the situation is getting worse. The data, collected in three studies over eight years at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, also reveal that 20% of employees say they are victims of incivility on a weekly basis. Should managers be kinder and gentler? You bet, says author Christine Porath, assistant professor of management, because "incivility has detrimental consequences. Does performance decrease? Yes. Does creativity suffer? Yes. People just don't concentrate." Turnover results too: 1 in 8 employees who experience rudeness ends up leaving. The biggest surprise: the study estimates that the average FORTUNE 1000 executive spends 13% of his or her time mediating worker disputes. That translates to seven weeks a year. Maybe Mom was right: it pays to be courteous. --By Dody Tsiantar