BY Kathy Crosett
U.S. adults continue to grow increasingly polarized regarding social and political issues. This polarization is leading to uncivil behavior in public places and in the workplace. Business leaders may not be able to do much about the disputes emerging in public places, but they should attempt to increase civility in the workplace.
What Is Civility?
In a Manage Smarter podcast from SalesFuel, Christine Porath, professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, defines civility. The concept is quite simple: In the workplace, employees feel respected.
All too often, employees report that interactions with a supervisor or a co-worker leave them feeling disrespected. A manager may not have intended to be rude. But their actions were interpreted that way.
Increasing Rates of Incivility
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) regularly reports on this trend through its Civility Index. The SHRM survey reveals that around 31% of employees believe managers aren’t doing enough to improve civility in the workplace. Even worse, they don’t expect to see improvement in the future.
Late last year, the SHRM index showed high levels of incivility at work. On average, employees were experiencing or witnessing an act of incivility every day. The impact of this workplace behavior is lower morale and productivity. Not surprisingly, employees also leave these organizations.
A Call to Action for Managers
Improving civility in the workplace starts with the managers. When they model the behavior they want from their employees, they are setting the right example.
Often, managers don’t realize that their default behavior comes across as rude. Managers are busy people and believe they can multitask. Unfortunately, the habit of checking their phone during a meeting can make their team members feel unimportant.
To understand how their general style impacts employees, managers should also ask for feedback. They may learn that some of their remarks or behaviors are not well-received.
But managerial responsibilities don’t stop there. When they are the target of uncivil behavior, they must call it out. The same holds true for when they witness uncivil behavior.
They shouldn’t make a public example of the offending employee though. Porath recommends that the manager address the topic in a one-on-one meeting. The right approach is to ask the employee to imagine how the target of their bad behavior felt. The next step is to encourage them to think before they act or speak.
Code of Behavior
In addition, leaders and managers can set guidelines regarding the tone of employee interactions. SalesFuel CEO, C. Lee Smith, reports that developing a behavior charter helps to formalize what is expected of employees. “At my company,” Smith reveals, “every employee knows the expected code of civility.”
According to Porath, typical expectations include:
- Being on time for meetings
- Saying please and thank you when interacting with co-workers
- Acknowledging the contribution of others
Reminding employees regularly of the code of behavior is important, especially as new team members are onboarded. Training sessions, when employees may act out scenarios, can be very effective in reinforcing the message about what constitutes civil behavior.
The Fear of Being Too Nice
During her appearance on SalesFuel’s Manage Smarter show, Dr. Porath also addressed the employee worry of being seen as too nice. Specifically, female employees fear that coming across as kind will mark them as unfit for leadership roles.
Those fears are unfounded. Porath cited research indicating that nice employees are seen as warm and competent. They’re considered leadership material, while bullying and insensitivity tends to break down a leader’s reputation.
Civil Behavior and Hiring
Managers can also increase civility in the workplace by being more intentional when hiring. When vetting candidates, managers should consider fit. Using an assessment platform like TeamTrait, they can quickly learn which candidates are a good fit for their management style.
In addition to hiring the right candidates, managers can use assessment data to lower the incidence of uncivil behavior at work. In particular, managers will understand the types of work settings and changes that can trigger uncivil behavior.
These triggers will vary by person. But the assessment data can help the manager find the right work settings for each employee.
Summary
As polarization increases across the U.S., managers must strive to increase civility in the workplace. Defining desired behavior and modeling that behavior are good first steps. Managers can also use hiring and psychometric assessment data to find candidates who will fit with the current teams. And they can use this data to help them spot and head off potential trigger situations.
