Caroline Colvin* says research has revealed a significant increase in rudeness at work — with the long periods of isolation during the recent pandemic mainly to blame.
Research in the United States has revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has made people ruder in the workplace, leading to decreased productivity and unhappy relationships.
New data from resilience specialist, meQuilibrium has found that one in four adults have experienced rudeness from their co-workers.
It says about 24 per cent of workers surveyed reported having their judgment questioned, and about 26 per cent reported being ignored by co-workers.
Chief Science Officer at meQuilibrium, Brad Smith said workplace incivility does not just hurt an organisation’s reputation, it erodes trust between direct reports and managers.
A smaller number of workers reported experiencing more severe uncivil treatment, including “angry outbursts”, cursing and yelling from co-workers.
Workplace incivility increasingly appears to be an issue in today’s society — at a time when people are continuing to engage in discourse around best practices for peaceful, nurturing workplaces.
For example, in late 2021 59 per cent of survey-takers told Organisational Consultant, Korn Ferry that their co-workers were ruder compared to pre-pandemic interactions.
Most respondents cited remote work as a driving factor.
The same appears to be true for clients, too.
Axonify, a learning and development company for front-line workers, reported that customer hostility is at “an all-time high”.
“When employees are subjected to rude, disrespectful or aggressive behaviour in the workplace, it can lead to decreased job satisfaction, increased stress and decreased productivity,” Mr Smith said.
“This kind of environment leads to higher rates of absenteeism as well as more attrition overall.”
A March report from HR company, Oyster suggested that 84 per cent of workers considered psychological safety one of the top-valued aspects of their workplace.
What can managers do to improve employee engagement? Be more attentive, meQuilibrium researchers said.
They said that well-supported employees were are less likely to struggle with physical stress, less likely to face “a hard time getting motivated in the morning”, and have a 58 per cent lower risk of burning out.
Researchers also reaffirmed a link between quiet quitting and burnout through their findings.
MeQuilibrium noted that younger workers reported higher levels of stress-impaired productivity and were also more likely to endorse quiet quitting.
*Caroline Colvin is a reporter for HR Dive. Before that Caroline covered sexual wellness, relationships and identity as an Elite Daily staff writer. She can be contacted @bigbosscaro.
This article first appeared on the HR Dive website.
