How Rude Behaviors Impact Your Organization: Understand the effects of rudeness on task performance, problem-solving, and employee well-being, and discover strategies to reduce its impact in the workplace.
The Importance of Good Manners
Have you ever been in the office when someone next to you starts blasting music on their phone? Or been constantly interrupted during a presentation? Maybe you have a colleague who is always late to meetings?
Rudeness is a behavior that reflects disrespect or a lack of courtesy towards others, violating social norms of what is considered appropriate and considerate.
Rudeness may seem like an unavoidable part of life, but it carries significant costs. Researchers Porath and Erez have dedicated years to studying the impact of rudeness in the workplace, and here’s what they discovered:
The Impact of Rudeness
In their study, Porath and Erez found that after encountering rudeness, most people lose focus, waste time, make efforts to avoid the rude individual in the future, and become less productive. If such behavior persists, it can even lead to employees leaving the organization.
The researchers also emphasized that experiencing or even witnessing rudeness directly impacts cognitive performance, negatively affecting problem-solving, flexibility in thinking, creativity, and the willingness to help others.
Moreover, processing a rude encounter consumes mental energy, leaving less capacity for attention and memory, which temporarily reduces our ability to perform effectively at work.
Even in organizations with established cultures of habitual rudeness, the negative effects remain significant. So, even if people have grown “used to it” or accept it as “just the way things are,” the impact is still felt across the board.
Rude behavior never becomes truly “normal” or less problematic, no matter how familiar it may seem.
If rudeness becomes ingrained in the organizational culture, it leads to unhappy employees who are less likely to help others and less effective at performing or problem-solving in teams.
So, ask yourself: how much could poor manners be costing your organization? Many companies overlook this issue, especially when the rude individuals are top performers. However, this behavior costs more than you might realize and paves the way for toxicity to take root in the workplace.
How Can You Address It?
Here are some tips for addressing rudeness in the workplace:
- Foster a culture of civility and politeness, starting with leadership
- Treat rudeness in leadership as a performance issue that impacts outcomes
- Manage stress levels within the organization, as stressed individuals are more prone to rudeness
- Address rudeness seriously and promptly
- Implement an organization-wide code of conduct to guide and educate employees
- Provide conflict management training across the organization
The Role of Coaching in Addressing Rudeness
Coaching can help your organization reduce rude behaviors in three key ways:
- Improving interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, and self-awareness: Leaders and employees can work with coaches to enhance these critical areas, fostering better communication and collaboration.
- Boosting confidence and self-worth: Coaching has been shown to increase individuals’ confidence, making them more likely to report and address rude behaviors when they occur.
- Equipping organizations with tools to foster a positive culture: Coaching can provide the strategies needed to cultivate a thriving workplace where behaviors like rudeness are identified and addressed quickly, ensuring they don’t undermine task performance or employee well-being.