Is Your Culture Costing You?

Have you ever noticed something at work that isn’t right, but is so common that it’s taken for granted? Everyday rudeness and disrespect can come to feel like a normal part of working life. They shouldn’t. Left unaddressed, incivility can affect people’s wellbeing, their work and their commitment to the organisation.

Incivility and bullying are different problems

Researchers usually describe workplace incivility as low-intensity rude or disrespectful behaviour where any intent to harm is ambiguous: ignoring someone, talking over them or making dismissive remarks. Workplace bullying is defined differently. Safe Work Australia describes it as repeated, unreasonable behaviour directed at a worker or group of workers, and notes that it can cause both psychological and physical harm.

The two can occur in the same workplace, and incivility left unchecked can make a culture feel more hostile, but they are not simply mild and severe versions of the same thing.

What does incivility cost?

Researchers Christine Porath and Christine Pearson surveyed 800 managers and employees across 17 industries and reported the results in “The Price of Incivility” (Harvard Business Review, January–February 2013). Among respondents who had been treated uncivilly at work, by their own reports:

• 48% intentionally decreased their work effort
• 66% said their performance declined
• 78% said their commitment to the organisation declined
• 12% said they left their job because of the uncivil treatment.

These are self-reported reactions rather than independent measures of performance, but they suggest incivility carries real costs for organisations.

Bullying and mental health

Bullying has been studied for its links with mental health. A meta-analysis by Nielsen and Einarsen, published in Work & Stress in 2012, found that across prospective studies, exposure to workplace bullying predicted later mental health problems. Existing mental health problems were also associated with a higher risk of later reporting bullying, suggesting the relationship runs both ways.

What Australian guidance says

Safe Work Australia lists bullying, harassment, and conflict or poor workplace relationships and interactions among the harmful behaviours that are psychosocial hazards. It notes that this is more than someone forgetting to say good morning one day: harmful behaviours become a hazard when they are severe, prolonged or frequent.

Employers must eliminate psychosocial risks or, if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise them so far as is reasonably practicable. In practice, that means identifying and addressing these behaviours early, rather than waiting for them to escalate or for someone to be harmed.

What you can do

Drawing on Safe Work Australia’s guidance, practical steps include:

• Consult workers: people may describe the problem in different ways, such as feeling stressed, humiliated or uncomfortable, or raising concerns about relationships, culture or other people’s behaviour.
• Make it easy to report: provide a clear way to raise concerns, and treat them seriously and respectfully so people feel safe to speak up.
• Use surveys and review your data: anonymous surveys, and records of overtime, time off, incidents or workers’ compensation claims, can help reveal patterns.
• Look at the wider picture: high job demands and other psychosocial hazards can make harmful behaviour more likely, so managing workload and other hazards is part of the solution.
• Review what you’ve put in place: check whether your measures are working, and change them if they aren’t.

Leaders also set the tone. How managers treat people, and how they respond when behaviour falls short, shows everyone what is acceptable.

How HSG can help

HSG’s organisational culture change programs focus on leadership alignment, communication and team dynamics, and our psychosocial risk programs help organisations identify and manage hazards, including harmful behaviours. We also offer Emotional Intelligence for Leaders and team building and culture workshops to strengthen how people work together. Call 1300 889 073 or enquire online. We respond to all enquiries within 12 business hours.