Civility in the workplace
Ever meet someone that you wish you could pull aside and have a little chat with them about their civility or lack thereof? If they are on your staff, the good news is - you can. And you should… Let me clarify… in our workplaces, we train on computer skills, how to balance the cash drawer, how to add proper pool chemicals, how to take a summer camp registration at the front desk – but we very rarely train on the proper etiquette and expected behaviors for how staff treat other staff. This beautiful concept goes hand in hand with how we (our team) then treat the customers. So, when I get a request for customer service training, I always first suggest we take a look at the civility expectations and training that staff receive. If you work for a municipal entity, they sometimes have “Codes of Conduct.” This is often a “gem” of a document (excuse the implied sarcasm) that includes a harsh list of “Do Not” statements, such as “Employees will refrain from using harsh language” or “Do not disturb, annoy, or interfere with any other person.” Instead, what if employees come together to talk about the impact that lack of civility in the workplace has on them (step 1) and discuss the standards for behavior that are appropriate and reasonable for their workplace (step 2). Then, by sharing these, employees at all levels are aware and part of this culture. It also becomes easier to welcome new staff into the culture as well. Then, we extend these standards on to our users and patrons. How does incivility impact the workplace? Big ways, like two employees squabbling or
name calling or worse. But small ways: tiny jabs at one another, gossip that undermines the moral of all or deeply hurts an employee, employees who quit unexpectedly and you do not learn until later why, staff who call in sick to avoid confrontational situations, loss of productivity related to workplace influences. And so many more…
Another key perk to this process is that bullies or aggressive staff or “hey, I was only kidding, can’t you take a joke” jokers start to feel uncomfortable in the new civil workplace and will begin to be managed by the influence and feedback (even non-verbal social cues) of their peers.
For those that are not, Managers now have a way to discipline and council troublemakers. Sometimes it’s a “hey, can we talk about the last staff meeting? Your comment to Donna putting down her work on the event is not the kind of tone we like to set around here.” on to a full counseling session about language, harassment, or bullying.
Here are some interesting statistics:- In 2011, 50% of employees surveyed said they are treated rudely at least once a week at work. (In 1998, it was 25%) I’m anxiously awaiting updated numbers because I bet it’s even higher in 2018.
- Out of 800 managers and employees surveyed in 17 industries:
- 48% of employees intentionally decreased their work efforts due to incivility
- 47% intentionally decreased their time spent at work
- 80% lost work time worrying about an incident
- 66% said their work declined
- 25% admitted taking their frustrations out on a customer
- From C. Pearson and C. Porath research