The Connecting With Respect program teaches participants the awareness and tools necessary to engage their peers in healthier, more respectful relationships. One of the many reasons this training is so important to organizations is its impact on the engagement and productivity of its employees.
According to a study published in the Harvard Business Review, employees who are the target of disrespectful behavior in the workplace experience the following:
- 48% intentionally decreased their work effort
- 47% intentionally decreased the time spent at work
- 38% intentionally decreased the quality of their work
- 80% lost work time worrying about the incident
- 63% lost work time avoiding the offender
- 66% said that their performance declined
- 78% said that their commitment to the organization declined
- 12% said that they left their job because of the uncivil treatment
- 25% admitted to taking their frustration out on customers
If you recognize any of these behaviors in your employees, it may be time to invest in respectful workplace training for your organization.
The Price of Incivility
FROM THE JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2013 ISSUE of Harvard Business Review
Rudeness at work is rampant, and it’s on the rise. Over the past 14 years we’ve polled thousands of workers about how they’re treated on the job, and 98% have reported experiencing uncivil behavior. In 2011 half said they were treated rudely at least once a week—up from a quarter in 1998.
The costs chip away at the bottom line. Nearly everybody who experiences workplace incivility responds in a negative way, in some cases overtly retaliating. Employees are less creative when they feel disrespected, and many get fed up and leave. About half deliberately decrease their effort or lower the quality of their work. And incivility damages customer relationships. Our research shows that people are less likely to buy from a company with an employee they perceive as rude, whether the rudeness is directed at them or at other employees. Witnessing just a single unpleasant interaction leads customers to generalize about other employees, the organization, and even the brand.
