Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Working Wednesday: Incivility and its Effects outside of the Workplace

How many times have you endured rudeness from a co-worker? The occasional outburst can even be considered rational because we all have times when we need to express frustration. It is the consistent, haranguing by the same person day in and day out that makes the word "work" into a negative one.

I have been with people like that. Some even relish in their rudeness. They think of it as a power stroke against the rest of us. They are using it as an aggressive means, without its physical cousin and getting away with something. It wears the rest of us down.

Researchers from Baylor University found people who endure incivility at work often take that stress home with them. They arrive home but not able to function as they once did. The spouse picks up additional chores, which may roll over into how the spouse performs during their employment hours.

The study was based on 190 full time employees and their partners. I feel that is a small group for a research study. But it does bring up enough for discussion and their conclusions are worthwhile: 1. organizations must address the far-reaching and detrimental effects that ugly behavior in the workplace can have among employees and their families. 2. Encourage workers to seek support through their organization's employee assistance program, counseling or stress management resources. See this website for further information about the study: http://www.healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.aspx?Docid=655961&source=govdelivery

Rudeness should not be routine. Human Resources have an obligation to include this as part of a safe and healthy environment for all in the organization and should be on the lookout for those who use it as a management tool.

No comments:

Post a Comment