UNCIVIL WORKPLACE BEHAVIOR

A need to be civil at work

At one time the business sphere was considered to be a mainstay of civility[1]. The business world was perceived as a place where contact between co-workers was observed as being formal yet friendly, distant yet polite, and where a shared understanding and respect among associates was evident[2] . When employees feel overworked and under-appreciated, workplace behavioral problems may become increasingly visible[3]. Media attention has focused on acts of workplace incivility and ignited an interest in the understanding of this antisocial behaviour[4].

Increasing uncivil behavior in the workplace

As the workplace increases in complexity and associated overwhelming workloads, extended working hours, and increased unresolved conflicts there may also be an increase in the display of uncivil behavior among associates[5]. Workplace incivility does not necessarily involve direct physical forms of interpersonal maltreatment, where the intent to harm is quite obvious yet it does constitute a low-intensity deviant behavior with a sometimes ambiguous, less transparent intent to harm the target[6]. With covert tactics it is easy for a perpetrator to deny the event, plead ignorance, or assign responsibility to the target. Violating workplace norms is a form of uncivil behavior that consists of a lack of regard for others that violates workplace norms for mutual respect; examples include refusing to listen to others, demanding credit for all group work, emotional outbreaks, impulsive use of verbal slurs and verbal attacks and coercive action, and rude and discourteous behaviours[7]. Further examples of incivility includes strategic moves that render the target unproductive, such as, for example, not consulting an employee in reference to a decision he or she should have been involved in, being unreasonably slow in seeing to matters which the co-worker was reliant on, intentionally failing to pass on information which the co-worker should have been made aware of, talking behind others backs, reading others emails, going through others’ desks and files and intentionally not telling another when a meeting was to be scheduled[8] Gossiping, which is widespread in many organizations, is another form of uncivil behavior that has recently become part of management research[9] These and other uncivil behaviors are occurring at an ever increasing rate, so much so that new terms, such as ‘desk rage’ are being coined to capture extreme forms of uncivil behaviour[10].

References

1.          Johnson, P.R., & Indvik, J. (2000). Rebels, criticizers, backstabbers, and busybodies: Anger and aggression at work. Public Personnel Management, 29, 165-174.
2.          Andersson, L.M. & Pearson, C.M. (1999). Tit for tat? The spiraling effect of incivility in the workplace.   Academy of Management Review, 24, 452-471. Johnson,ibid.
3.          Johnson, ibid.
4.          Bennett, R.J., & Robinson, S.L. (2000). Development of a measure of workplace deviance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 349-360.
5.          Anderson, ibid; Johnson, ibid.
6.          Anderson, ibid.          
7.          Anderson, ibid; Burler, P.M. (2003). Workplace civility:   has it fallen by the wayside. Supervision, 64, 20-22; Namie, G. (2003).   Workplace bullying: Escalated incivility.  Ivey Business Journal, 68.
8.          Martin, R. J., & Hine, D.W. (2005). Development and validation of the uncivil workplace behavior questionnaire. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10, 477-490.
9.          Kurland, N.B., & Pelled, L.H. (2000). Passing the word: Toward a model of gossip and power in the workplace. Academy of Management Review, 25, 428-438.
10.        Burler, ibid.