Incivility in the workplace isn’t just about rude behaviour, it’s a silent drain on engagement, productivity, and trust.
Incivility can look like things that happen every day in the workplace such as ignoring people, talking behind people’s backs, dirty looks, not listening. The list is long.
Organisations that fail to address incivility experience higher turnover, reduced innovation, and disengaged employees. It can also lead to work cover claims, which are financially costly for an organisation and emotionally costly for those involved. Workplaces that foster respect and trust on the other hand, consistently outperform those that allow toxic behaviours to fester.
One of our clients, Sarah, a talented marketing manager loved her job. But when a new manager started dismissing her ideas in meetings, sending emails with passive-aggressive remarks, eye-rolling and creating an environment where teamwork felt more like a battle than a collaboration, everything changed. Over time, Sarah disengaged, stopped contributing at her usual high level, and ultimately left for a competitor, taking with her the immense amount of knowledge and talent she had.
Sarah’s experience is not unique. In fact, research confirms just how damaging incivility can be. A study from Rely Platform highlights the alarming impact: when employees experience disrespect, 66% reduce their effort, 80% lose time worrying about the incident, and 25% take their frustration out on customers. The consequences? Lower productivity, poor collaboration, a culture of fear and a loss of business.
On the flip side, organisations that actively build trust and civility see remarkable benefits. Employees in high trust workplaces report 74% less stress, 50% higher productivity, and 76% more engagement. With numbers like these, it’s clear that trust and civility can’t be ignored.
Addressing incivility isn’t just about stopping bad behaviour, it’s about proactively creating an environment that fosters understanding, acceptance and respect which leads to engagement, commitment. Research on Positive Leadership provides key insights into how leaders can build such environments.
Leaders set the tone for their team. The energy, expectations and attitudes a leader brings, has enormous influence on others. We recently worked with a General Manager of Sales (let’s call him John) who inherited a disengaged and resistant team. In the beginning, John took a “toughen up and push on” approach with his new team, but he could see that his leadership style was making things worse. In our executive coaching sessions, we explored how John could take a strengths-based leadership approach. John began recognising his team members for their contributions, encouraging collaboration, and checking in on their wellbeing. Within a few months, the shift was visible. His team were feeling energised, motivated, and more connected to their work and each other. Performance improved, turnover dropped and John was even nominated for an award in his organisation, by members of his team!
John’s experience reflects what research has found: leaders who prioritise trust, wellbeing, and positive leadership create engaged and high-performing teams. A study of 282 employees
in a German finance and insurance company found that positive leadership directly increases employees’ emotional connection to their organisation (affective commitment). More importantly, it uncovered the mechanisms behind this effect:
These findings confirm what we at Steople see time and time again: leaders have the power to shape workplace culture in ways that drive both individual and organisational success.
Trust isn’t a soft concept; it’s a business imperative. It’s hard to build and easy to break. When employees trust their leaders, they are more likely to:
But trust doesn’t happen by accident. It requires consistent positive leadership behaviours, clear communication, emotional intelligence, and the ability to address conflict constructively. This is where many leaders struggle.
At Steople, we partner with leaders to embed positive leadership principles into workplace culture. Everything we do is evidence-based and easy to learn and implement in the workplace. Our approach includes:
The evidence is clear: leaders who actively build trust, foster civility, and support employees’ basic psychological needs create workplaces where people thrive. The cost of ignoring these elements is high, not just in dollars, but in lost talent, decreased performance, and a diminished reputation.
At Steople, we help leaders close the gap between where they are and where they need to be. If your organisation is ready to build a culture of trust, respect, and engagement, let’s start the conversation.