So what happens when HR gets a complaint about workplace incivility? (= those seemingly inconsequential, discourteous or rude words or actions, where the intent to harm is ambiguous at best.)
Okay, we’ve established through the recent HR Reporter survey that workplace incivility does impact key organizational indicators. However, a set of questions about how organizations respond to it revealed a troubling reality.
As the numbers below show, we see within HR itself large pockets which lack both confidence and skill in dealing with the issue. This is true despite the fact that 73% of survey respondents comprised of executives, managers and supervisors, and another 17% identified themselves as `senior individual contributors’.
When asked about their reaction when they received formal or informal civility-related complaint…
- 77% “wished they had more knowledge and tools to deal with this situation”
- 39% “felt unsure how to handle the situation”
- 37% did not “know exactly what to do” to fix it
- 81% “wish management was more aware of how incivility impacts the business”
- 72% “wish they had more organizational support”
This lack of information and skills is disconcerting. It demonstrates that there’s little understanding and support from the organization’s management tiers. And it also shows that HR’s lack of skill leads to a compromised ability to support the business and its leaders – and that HR professionals may inadvertently mishandle situations.
So how do organizations actually handle incivility on the ground? We asked about that too, and I’ll relay the data to you next week!
