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Writer's pictureBrittany Castonguay

Civility in the Workplace: Reducing Toxicity

By: Dr. Brittany Castonguay 22 August 2024 #WorkplaceDisagreements

               Toxicity in the workplace is a recurring theme. I recently worked with an employee who advocated for fair and equal treatment of a coworker in their workplace, only to be stymied. The cruelness of the situation was shocking to them. They failed to understand why their leadership was not taking the accusations seriously. The answer seemed all too simple, yet the gravity of the situation failed to impact leadership.

               As Strategic Human Resources & Innovations (SHRI), we've seen leadership's failure to address workplace toxicity all too often. According to the SHRM, a recent study on civility found that two-thirds of respondents had experienced incivility in their workplace within the past month. This rampant toxicity is a clear sign that leaders need to step up. Whether it's a lack of awareness, understanding, or time, the consequences of not addressing incivility can be catastrophic.

               The negative effects of incivility are far-reaching, impacting every aspect of the organization. It's a complex issue that can't be fully explored in a single article. From recruitment and onboarding to job satisfaction, task performance, profitability, and retention, incivility breeds hostility, which directly undermines the organization's bottom line. Whether you look at it from the perspective of employee satisfaction and culture or from a financial and performance standpoint, incivility is a significant barrier to success.

Argument
Incivility contributes to disgruntled workers.

               HR has a lifecycle that begins with attraction and requirement and comes full circle with retention and succession planning. Everything that happens between those two programs encompasses a wide range of human capital that deserves its own unique approach. Regardless of where an employee falls within the HR lifecycle, they are a valued member of the organization that contributes to its success. Their value becomes negatively impacted when they are treated with incivility.

               Look at it from a psychological perspective. Those who are positively supported and valued will work harder to contribute to the organization's success. When an employee faces incivility in the workplace, they become disinterested in the job and view work as a means to an end rather than a passion or something they enjoy doing. Devalued employees lack enthusiasm and motivation, experience higher levels of stress, and are more likely to leave the organization for other forms of employment.

Incivility contributes to disgruntled workers. A disgruntled employee contributes to the toxicity of the workplace by spreading their discontent, fostering negativity, and becoming a soured face that others choose to avoid. We all know who those individuals are. The ones who gripe about every task are openly rude and critical but do nothing to positively contribute to fixing the environment around them. These individuals are the results of allowed incivility in the workplace. Yet, this is only a singular example of how toxicity can be present.

Toxicity and incivility come in many forms, and while they are relational, they are not interchangeable terms. Incivility is a precursor to toxicity. Toxicity is the result of a failure to address incivility, and with many employees experiencing incivility at an alarming rate, toxicity must also run rampant throughout the workforce. Incivility happens when everyone ignores a poor situation. Toxicity occurs when leadership fails to address incivility in the workplace.


What can you do?


  1. Remember You Have A Voice. Nobody deserves to feel devalued. Work has enough stressors without adding the negativity of a situation to the mix. You can address incivility at work by proactively taking negative situations head-on. I have learned that most situations are the result of poor communication. Incivility is not typically the result of ill intentions but poor communication tactics. Sitting down with the person and discussing your concerns professionally and politely can significantly reduce workplace tensions.

  2. Foster Diversity. Since incivility is often the result of poor communication, positive work cultures reduce toxic behaviors by fostering diversity. Diverse work environments encourage diverse work of thought, differing opinions and perspectives, and encourage open communication, active listening, respect, and dialogue without judgment. Fostering diversity in the workplace can begin by bringing the team together to create office ground rules for a safe and open work environment.

  3. Set Ground Rules. It helps to allow the team to openly collaborate on these ground rules and then publish them throughout the organization. Review them at the beginning of a meeting, in formal conversations, periodically, and as needed to frequently remind each other of them. Eventually, these ground rules will become integrated into the culture and second nature to employees.

  4. Mediation. Similar to remembering you have a voice, mediation is a formal process for two people to openly communicate their situation with an unbiased member. The mediator should be someone outside of both employees' leadership chains and should have no vested interest in the situation, expecting to help the coworkers come to a mutual understanding. Sometimes, people do not mesh together. That is okay; they need to find a way to get along without negatively impacting each other, the work, or the culture, and a mediator can help them get to a mutual level of understanding so they can coexist peacefully.

  5. Elevate the Situation. When the above tactics fail, elevate the situation to leadership. Managers and above are in supervisory roles for a reason. Empower them to help you diffuse a situation before it becomes toxic.

 

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