How observers choose voice during a workplace incivility event

Abstract

Workplace incivility is a pervasive and harmful phenomenon. Its impact affects both individuals and organizations and includes increased symptoms of depression and anxiety, increased absenteeism, decreased job satisfaction and performance, increased turnover intentions, and reduced organizational citizenship behaviors. Uncivil workplace behaviors include putting down colleagues, making demeaning comments, rudeness, and questioning the competence of coworkers. For workplace incivility to occur, there must be a perpetrator and one or more victims; however, in many situations, an observer is also present. This study investigates the thoughts and actions of the observer as an uncivil event unfolds. It seeks to answer the following question: “How do observers choose voice during a workplace incivility event?” The study uses in-depth qualitative interviews, gathering insights from 31 professionals across 10 different countries as they share their experiences of observing and reacting to workplace incivility. Participants were selected from among a population that had fully answered a qualifying questionnaire on the frequency of observation of uncivil work behaviors. The study identified a rapid three-step voice decision process. Consistent with previous research, in the first decision step, an observer must recognize an uncivil event. The second step, the responsibility assessment, focuses on an observer’s felt responsibility to voice. And in the third step, an observer is faced with a choice of voice, choosing either to address the perpetrator directly, to address the perpetrator indirectly, or to remain silent. Study findings underscore the importance of how different forms of indirect voice and understanding each of the three decision steps can contribute to the creation of a more civil workplace environment.