The Hidden Cost of Rudeness: Why Workplace Civility Must Be a Strategic Priority

By George Waggott, founder, and Roberto Fonseca-Velazquez, law student

George Waggott Law

The modern workplace is facing a crisis of courtesy—and it's costing more than hurt feelings. According to new research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), U.S. based businesses are reportedly losing a staggering $2.1 billion per day due to the effects of workplace incivility.

From terse emails to snide remarks in meetings, what might seem like minor breaches of professionalism are collectively reducing productivity, increasing absenteeism, and eroding team cohesion. SHRM’s recent Civility Index report found that workers in U.S. workplaces encounter more than 208 million acts of incivility every day—up significantly from previous quarters, especially around politically-charged periods like the 2024 election. Anecdotal evidence suggests a similar trend in workplaces globally.

For Human Resources leaders, and indeed all leaders, this trend poses a serious challenge—and an opportunity. The rise of rudeness and its implications is not just about managing difficult conversations or mitigating interpersonal conflict. The topic is also about defining, codifying, and modeling a culture of respect.

Culture as a Strategic Lever

Jim Link, SHRM’s Chief Human Resources Officer, emphasizes that many perceived acts of incivility are less about malice and more about what may be more properly described as cultural misalignment. (Author’s note: readers need to resist the urge to play buzzword bingo, since that knee-jerk reaction may itself be culturally improper). A blunt email might be seen as efficient by one employee and offensive by another. In that gray area, organizational culture becomes the clarifying force. This also plays out in interactions between organizations.

“Acts of incivility are more tied to the culture of an organization than they necessarily are to whether that person intended to be uncivil,” said Link. SHRM refers to this challenge and the related opportunity as one requiring "cultural clarity"—the idea that clear expectations about behaviour and communication styles reduce misinterpretation and conflict.

When leaders, particularly CEOs and executive teams, set and reinforce cultural expectations, the impact on psychological safety and team performance is measurable. SHRM’s data and its most recent related report show that organizations with high civility scores report better inclusion metrics, stronger collaboration, and higher employee engagement. That ultimately translates into more productive workers and higher retention rates.

The Rise of “Digital Bravery”

The modern workplace is hybrid, global, and often asynchronous. This makes the modern workplace particularly vulnerable to what SHRM calls “digital bravery”: the phenomenon of employees expressing opinions online that they would never voice in person. This includes everything from passive-aggressive Slack messages to politically-charged commentary on internal workplace platforms.

Societal tensions, lingering pandemic stress, and polarized worldviews are bleeding into the workplace. Human Resources professionals must both step in, and encourage team members to do so. The goal of stepping-in is not to police every comment, but rather to create environments where disagreement does not devolve into disrespect.

Practical Interventions

SHRM advises against “gag orders” or banning controversial topics. Instead, organizations and their Human Resources leaders should invest in training around active listening, empathetic communication, and conflict resolution. These are qualities which make workers and our workplaces more human. Leaders must role-model these behaviours consistently—civility cannot be delegated.

Human Resources professionals and leaders can also audit communication norms, set the tone guidelines for digital messaging, and regularly pulse-check employee well-being. These tactics are not just feel-good initiatives – they are also intended to benefit the bottom line.

In SHRM’s broader well-being research, 67% of employees reported that their overall well-being is worse than before the pandemic, with marginalized groups—women, younger workers, and diverse talent—reporting even steeper declines. A civil workplace culture supports resilience and retention across all demographics.

The HR Imperative

The data is clear: incivility is not a soft issue and civility is not just “nice to have”—incivility a strategic risk which can have serious economic implications. Human Resources leaders are uniquely positioned to drive the cultural clarity needed to turn the tide. The question is not whether your organization has incivility. The real question is: what are you doing about it?

For more information about George Waggott Law, please see: www.georgewaggott.com, or contact: george@georgewaggott.com