Inspiring Workplaces 
The Way Work Ought to Be!

#1,037 - Sept. 4, 2024

This Friday, September 6th, is official Bring Your Manners to Work Day! It seems like a simple request, I mean come on people, it's just one day a year! You've got the entire rest of the year to act like a jerk! 

(I josh, of course, it's how I roll.) 

You really do need to encourage everyone to bring their manners to work everyday, since numerous studies suggest that incivility at work is on the rise and that jerk-like behavior is costing you more than you realize. 

An Arizona State University study discovered that disrespectful behavior at work resulted in: 

• 80% of employees reporting lost work time worrying about an incident;
• 63% of employees losing time at work trying to avoid the offender; 
• 50% of employees saying they've deliberately decreased time at work due to disrespectful behavior;
• 66% saying their performance declined because of a work jerk;
• 25% admitting to taking it out on a customer;
• 12% of respondents saying they left a job because of incivility.

1. Post surveys/top-10 lists of things that annoy people at work. It's a simple and safe way to highlight annoying behaviors without pointing fingers at anyone.  

2. Create a fun (emphasis on FUN) "Rules for Being a Good Neighbor" list as a gentle reminder. 

3. Hold regular "Good Neighbor" meetings where everyone commits to one thing that everyone needs to start doing, one thing everyone commits to stop doing, and one thing everyone commits to keep doing to help foster a more civil work environment.