Merideth Ferguson Sunrise Session
Transcript of Merideth Ferguson Sunrise Session
How many of you have worked alongside an uncivil or rude coworker?
How did those experiences affect...• You• Your work• Your health• Your family• Your desire to get revenge
Let’s take a look at an example...
Incivility Behaviors
Low level rude behaviors• Talking down to others• Not listening• Talking over or interrupting others• Withholding information• Showing little interest in others’ opinions• Making demeaning or derogatory remarks
Do you see yourself in any of these behaviors?
But, do people intendto be rude or uncivil at work?
Incivility – Who Cares?
96% Experienced it 99% Witnessed it
Consequences?
48% inten-tionally de-crease work effort / time
38% inten-tionally de-crease work
quality
80% lost time worrying over
incident
63% lost time avoiding the of-
fender
78% said com-mitment to orga-nization declined
Performance Costs?
20% decline in concentration at
work
65-75% drop in helpfulness
33% decline in verbal
tasks
25-49% drop in helpful-
ness
Incivility Targets Incivility Observers
Toxic Environments
30% less likely to feel vital and en-
ergetic
36% less satisfied with their jobs
Uncivil workplaces
30% less likely to feel mo-tivated to learn new skillsLess inclined to:
• act in the company’s best interests• take steps to prevent problems• attend company functions• keep up with company developments
HR Costs
Managers and executives of the Fortune 1000 firms spend about 13% of their total work time – seven full weeks per year – dealing with effects of incivility
In 2007 Cisco Systems Inc. estimated the cost of incivility in its organization at $8.3M annually
Ripple Effect of Incivility
Workplace Incivility Marital Dissatisfaction
Stress transmittedto family
Revenge is (not so) sweet
94% of targets get even with their of-
fender
88% of targets get even with their
organization
How?
75% have stolen from their em-
ployer once
37% have stolen from their em-ployer twice
in employee theft annually in the U.S.
$200,000,000,000
Turnover Costs
20% of observers leave• Low level departures
30-50% of salary - $
• Mid-level managers
150% of salary - $$
• High level employees
can top 400% of salary - $$
$
25% of targets leave
Spiral &Escalation• Incivility, though often unintentional, is
harmful• Having an abusive supervisor (or coworker?)
is even worse!– Intentional– Hostile– “Strategically used” by some supervisors
• Sets the tone for the organization or group culture
• “This is how we treat each other”
Abusive Supervisors
• How many of you have had or know of someone else who has had an abusive supervisor or manager?
• Think about what kind of impact those experiences had on your life at work...or your life OUTSIDE of work.
What does an Abusive Supervisor Do?
Sustained display of hostile verbal and nonverbal behaviors
• Tells subordinates that their thoughts or feelings are stupid
• Silent treatment• Puts subordinates down in front of others• Blames subordinates to save himself / herself
embarrassment• Breaks promises he / she makes• Expresses anger at subordinates when he / she is mad
for another reason
Self Assessment
When was the last time...
• You said “Thank you”• You said “I’m sorry”• A subordinate or coworker brought you ‘bad news’ • A subordinate quit...or multiple subordinates quit?
(Employees don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses!)
Who Cares?13.6% of US
workers experi-ence it
90% of nurses experience it
Estimated to costannually
$23,800,000,000
Consequences
• Trickles down two levels from abusive manager…and over to the subordinate’s family
• Diminished subordinate creativity, self-esteem• Increased subordinate emotional exhaustion,
depression, insomnia
• Subordinates less likely to ‘go above and beyond’
Ripple Effect of Abuse
Abusive Supervision Relationship Tension& Family Functioning
Work to FamilyConflict
An Ounce of Prevention
Keep uncivil people out of your organization!
• Vendors, contractors, customers, employees
• Selectivity in recruitment / selection
Teach civility through building competencies
• Listening• Conflict resolution• Negotiation• Dealing with difficult people• Stress management
What’s an Organization to do?
Set Zero-Tolerance Expectations
• Shapes behavior• Sets a norm• Start with your mission or values statement
What’s an Organization to do?
Have Managers Look in the Mirror
• Strive to live by the norms set• Less likely to hear negative information as we climb
the ladder• Upward evaluations or 360-degree feedback
(anonymously collected)
What’s an Organization to do?
Take complaints seriously
• Open door policy
• Gather data quickly• Get the facts• Act swiftly
What’s an Organization to do?
Don’t make excuses for powerful instigators or high performers
• Don’t move the offender to a new location!• Incivility is like a virus, it’s contagious...and can spread
easily
Unique Approaches
Department devoted to sending notes of support when a family member is ill or congratulations when a baby is born
10/5 Rule
• Making eye contact with anyone within 10 feet• Greeting anyone within 5 feet• “No venting rule” – retreat to a ‘safe zone’ (like a private
nursing manager’s office) to express frustration• Employee evaluations take into account whether these
procedures are being followed!
questions?
thank you