Updated: March 24, 2025
Ask ACE
Ask ACE: What management practices will maximize respect and minimize rudeness at work?
By John M. O’Brien
Q: What management practices will maximize respect and minimize rudeness at work?
ACE advises: Poorly managed stress in workplaces creates behavior that is rude and disrespectful. This incivility affects the target, any witnesses and eventually the culprit. This rudeness then feeds on itself and contributes to workplace stress, leading to burnout, decreased productivity and high turnover rates.
Researchers Christine Porath and Christine Pearson defined workplace incivility as “the exchange of seemingly inconsequential, inconsiderate words and deeds that violate conventional norms of workplace conduct” in a groundbreaking Harvard Business Review article in 2013. In a follow-up article in 2022, Porath reported that 76% of workers had witnessed incivility in their workplace at least once in the last month.
Constant exposure to incivility can trigger the body’s stress response, leading to increased cortisol levels, fatigue and even long-term health consequences. Employees’ stress levels skyrocket even when the behavior is unintentional. In the workplace it leaves employees feeling demotivated and disconnected, lowering productivity. This results in diminished profitability for a business, and possibly its demise.
Leaders can promote greater civility in the workplace with:
- Self-awareness: Creating a more civil workplace starts at the top. Make efforts to understand what behaviors you exhibit (especially under stress) that may be experienced as rude or inconsiderate.
- Expectations: Identify appropriate workplace behavior, applicable to everyone, regardless of position. When explaining rules such as “no smartphones during meetings” or being on time, talk about how these expectations show respect for others.
- Training: Teach employees polite communication skills, such as active listening, clarity, brevity and empathy.
- Enforcement: Implement clear consequences for those who do not follow the guidelines of respectful behavior.
Workers are more creative and productive when they are free of unpleasant interpersonal encounters. They communicate better, navigate conflicts more skillfully and function more effectively in teams. This results in a happier workplace for all.
ACE member John M. O’Brien is a professional speaker, executive coach and author of “Rudeness Rehab: Reclaiming Civility in the Workplace and Your Home Space.” He can be reached at: john@activatesuccess.org
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