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Workplace incivility costing U.S. companies billions annually

Thunderbird professor co-authors book on cost of incivility and what companies can do about it

Whether it’s a standoffish coworker or an arrogant boss, incivility at the office doesn’t just affect the moods of a few employees; it hurts the entire company and could be costing your company millions, according to new research by two business school professors who collaborated on a book released today: “The Cost of Bad Behavior:  How Incivility Is Damaging Your Business and What to Do About It.”

Thunderbird School of Global Management Professor Christine Pearson and co-author Christine Porath, assistant professor of Management at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California say workplace incivility has become common, even tolerated, and is a plague on business and its bottom line. It spreads stress, smears reputations, reduces productivity, and raises employee turnover.

 Their research shows:

  •  1 in 5 people are the target of incivility from a coworker at least once a week.
  • 95% of the national workforce reported experiences of incivility from coworkers.
  • 12% of all employees say they’ve left jobs because they were treated badly.
  • Fortune 1000 executives spend roughly seven weeks per year resolving employee conflicts.
  • 80% of employees believe they get no respect at work.
     

“The Cost of Bad Behavior” combines personal research with stories from fields as diverse as criminology, education, and psychology, and shows how to spot the roots of incivility and what companies can do about it. The book also showcases five corporations that have tackled incivility in the workplace and saved millions in doing so: Cisco Systems, Starbucks, DaVita Inc., Microsoft, and O’Melveny & Myers.

 These companies hold employees accountable for their behaviors toward one another, send managers to annual leadership conferences to enhance their relationship skills and regularly conduct satisfaction surveys to pick up early signals of bad behavior. They implement formal programs on respect and award employees who exemplify their creed. Above all, they “regard civility as part of their DNA.”

Rudeness in the workplace doesn’t have to be purposeful or malicious, Pearson and Porvath explain. Incivility is all about a victim’s interpretation, not a perpetrator’s intention. Luckily, there are ways to combat the problem at its source. Offenders can videotape meetings, ask people to give written feedback, and find a personal coach to aid their development. Targets of incivility can appeal to a higher authority, such as a manager, executive, or human resources officer. They can limit exposure to the offender by communicating via e-mail rather than in person and by scheduling shorter meetings.

The book is available for purchase at Barnes & Noble, Borders at other major retailers and on Amazon.com. More information about the book and the authors can be found on the book’s Web site (http://thecostofbadbehavior.com).Pearson earned her Ph.D. in business from the University of Southern California, her M.S. in organizational psychology from California State University, and her Bachelor of Arts in French and economics from the City University of New York.


ABOUT THE AUTHORS

CHRISTINE PEARSON is a professor of management at Thunderbird School of Global Management. Her research has been featured on national network and cable television and in publications such as Harvard Business Review. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

CHRISTINE PORATH is an assistant professor of management at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.  Her research has been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Time.  She lives in Los Angeles, California.

 

The Cost of Bad Behavior
How Incivility Is Damaging Your Business and What to Do About It
By Christine Pearson & Christine Porath
Portfolio; July 9, 2009
Hardcover; $25.95
ISBN-10: 1591842611
ISBN-13: 978-1591842613