Incivility & Bullying in the Workplace – The Failing of Leadership
Incivility and bullying at work can have a
significant negative impact on work performance. It is still a significant
problem in many organizations and in society at large.
Incivility and bullying in the workplace
can range from rude comments and insensitive actions, to physical acts
including physical assault, as well as from thoughtless intent to malicious
intent; all of which result in physical or psychological harm to the recipient.
The following are a quick synopsis of impact variables.
Business and personal costs to the
individual
- Business work performance
problems - Resignation
- Stress related health costs
increase- Stress
- Negative emotions like fear,
anger, anxiety, hatred - Loss of productivity to
concentration issues, preoccupation with the situation, lost work time, sick
time, presenteeism, - Shock
- Guilt
- Lowered self-esteem
- Depression
- Decreased motivation
- Physical complaints
Workplace Incivility and Bullying
Statistics
- 82% of employees targeted by
bullies leave the workplace. - 38% who leave, do so for health
issues - 72% of disrespectful behaviour
is done by those in leadership positions - 57% of targets are women.
- 45% of targets had
stress-related health problems - 39% had debilitating anxiety,
panic attacks, and clinical depression - 30% had post-traumatic stress
- Physical headaches, cardiac,
aches, weight change, CFS, TMJ, skin, asthma/allergies, IBS, hair loss,
fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, ulcers, fatigue. - Targets have a 64% chance of
losing their job for no reason. - Despite health harm, 40% of
targets never report bullying.
Business cost of incivility and bullying
- High turnover
- Low productivity
- Absenteeism
- Benefits misused
- Low morale
- Poor public image, reputation
damaged - Lawsuits
- Organization’s values and
policies compromised and violated - Financial viability reduced
For those who think incivility and bullying
are overstated and not a problem, open your eyes to the following graphic on
the continuum of behaviour.
The Incivility Continuum as defined by
Kirsten Schwehm, PhD, Louisiana State University, topic: Civility in the
Workplace, 2013):
Signs & Symptoms of Incivility
The Incivility Spectrum
1. Negative Behaviors
- Rude or dismissive comments
- Insensitive actions
- Unintentional slights
- Frequent complaints
- Gossiping
- Cultural bias or stereotyping
- Crude jokes
- Use of profanity
2. Verbal Aggression
- Yelling or shouting
- Belittling or mocking remarks
- Intimidation tactics
- Threats, explicit or implied
- Discriminatory language
- Cursing or using offensive words
- Public humiliation or shaming
3. Physical/Sexual Aggression
- Physical assault
- Battery or physical harm
- Throwing objects in anger
- Extreme violent outbursts
- Inappropriate physical contact
- Sexual harassment
This breakdown illustrates the progression of incivility, ranging from mild negative behaviors to severe physical and sexual aggression. Recognizing these signs can help promote a respectful and professional environment.
If you are not personally convinced that
your organization needs to pay attention to the impact of incivility and
bullying in your workplace the following information may help convince you and
your organization to look more deeply into the reasons for addressing it
through good management practices, policy, and culture changes.
Business Case for the organization to
have a civil and safe environment
- Healthier employees
- Lower turnover
- Higher productivity
- Better financial viability
- Business case for the
individual - Safety
- Psychological wellbeing
- Interaction effects with others
- Career longevity
- Job satisfaction
- Positive morale
We all are interdependent with each other
at all levels. Practically speaking, we all make our living together. What
affects one of us, directly or indirectly affects all of us.
