UNDATED – Workplace incivility is on the rise. More people are feeling overworked and that’s leading them to lash out at their co-workers.
A 2011 poll conducted by Weber Shandwick finds 43 percent of workers experience incivility at work.
Another survey by Accountemps finds managers spend 18 percent of their time dealing with conflicts among staffers.
The stress of what happens at work often ends up going home with the worker, according to a Baylor University study.
“Employees who experience such incivility at work bring home the stress, negative emotion and perceived ostracism that results from those experiences, which then affects more than their family life – it also creates problems for the partner’s life at work,” said Merideth J. Ferguson, Baylor’s study author.
How can you deal with it? Staffing firm Robert Half International suggests taking mini-breaks to cool off, opening up to friends and family about office incivility and rising above the fray by not getting caught up in the negativity.
More tips to avoid workplace conflict include the following:
- Be aware of your language and don’t assign blame.
- Respect the differences you have with co-workers.
- Listen and don’t jump to conclusions.
Susan Lankton-Rivas, a practice leader at human resources consulting firm Insight Performance Inc., tells the Boston Globe that taking positive action can help solve office problems.
What kinds of conflicts have you had at work? Post a comment in this story, comment on WTOP’s Facebook Page or use #WTOPTalkback on Twitter.
WTOP’s Bob Kur contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.
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