NEW YORK, June 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- An annual poll that
tracks the state of civility in the
United States once again finds that the vast majority of
Americans – 93 percent – identify a civility problem in society,
with most classifying it as a "major" problem (69 percent). Despite
this unwavering sentiment since 2010, the general level of civility
in the workplace is considered strong. More than nine in 10
Americans who work with others (92 percent) describe their place of
employment as very or somewhat civil. Civility in America 2018:
Civility at Work and In Our Public Squares by Weber Shandwick
and Powell Tate was conducted in 2018 with KRC Research.
"Given that nearly all survey respondents consider incivility to
be a problem in our country – a number that has not budged since
the inception of the study – the fact that a similar proportion
finds civility in their workplaces offers a ray of hope for this
seemingly intractable social issue," said Andy Polansky, CEO of Weber Shandwick.
"Companies should build on the important safe haven they provide
employees and activate strategies that nurture even greater
collegiality and respect around the organizational purpose, which,
in turn, can deepen stakeholder relationships."
The Civil Work Zone
Not only does the overwhelming
majority of Americans with coworkers describe their workplace as
civil, but 27 percent report this level of civility to be an
improvement compared to a few years ago. These positive indicators
align with the general decline in the number of Americans on the
whole who report ever having experienced incivility at work.
How do employers of civil workplaces create a civility safe
haven? We compared respondents in civil environments to those who
work in uncivil environments and found that civility is an
organizational value. In civil workplaces, leadership is more
likely to be perceived as civil (49 percent vs. 10 percent,
respectively) and employees feel safer reporting uncivil conduct
(33 percent vs. 17 percent). In uncivil workplaces, employees are
more likely to distrust management to handle complaints about
incivility (48 percent vs. 13 percent of employees in civil
workplaces).
|
Employees in
Civil
Workplaces
|
Employees in
Uncivil
Workplaces**
|
% agree
that…
|
%
|
%
|
The leadership where I
work is civil
|
49*
|
10
|
I feel safe to report
incivility or harassment to my supervisor or someone in authority
in my workplace, such as the Department of Human
Resources
|
33*
|
17
|
I do not trust
management at my employer to handle complaints about
incivility
|
13
|
48*
|
*significant difference
**small base size
Yet these findings do not mean that employees in uncivil work
environments have accepted incivility as normal and give their
leaders a pass. Approximately half of employees in both groups
believe that leadership has a responsibility to enforce civility in
the workplace. Furthermore, the research uncovered a lesson for
those employers that don't instill a value of civility in their
organizations: Incivility multiplies when not curbed – more than
twice as many employees in uncivil workplaces as civil workplaces
report they are hearing more uncivil comments at work than they
used to (37 percent vs. 16 percent).
|
Employees in
Civil
Workplaces
|
Employees in
Uncivil
Workplaces**
|
% agree
that…
|
%
|
%
|
Leadership has a
responsibility to enforce civility in the workplace
|
52
|
46
|
I hear more uncivil
comments in my workplace than I used to
|
16
|
37*
|
*significant difference
**small base size
Finally, when Americans overall are asked to respond to a list
of actions that would improve the level of civility in the country,
42 percent are in favor of "civility training in the workplace" and
40 percent are in favor of "employers encouraging employees to
report incivility in the workplace." It seems that the workplace
may be ground zero for civility progress.
The Role of Diversity & Inclusion in the Civil
Workplace
More than eight in 10 employees with coworkers
(83 percent) describe their workplace as diverse and inclusive
(definitions for diversity and inclusion presented in the survey
can be found in the About the Research section below). Diversity
and inclusion (D&I) is closely tied with civility in the
workplace, as respondents in uncivil workplaces are twice as likely
to characterize their employers as weak on diversity and inclusion
(37 percent vs. 15 percent of civil workplaces).
|
Employees in
Civil
Workplaces
|
Employees in
Uncivil
Workplaces**
|
Workplace is diverse
and inclusive
|
85%*
|
63%
|
Workplace is not
diverse and inclusive
|
15%
|
37%*
|
*significant difference
**small base size
The link between diversity and inclusion and respect-based
cultures is poised to strengthen in the near future. More than four
in 10 (42 percent) believe their workplace will become more diverse
in the next few years while only 13 percent believe it will go in
the opposite direction and become less diverse. D&I training is
critical to moving this forward. Among employed survey respondents
who have received D&I training at work, 65 percent find it
useful. Additionally, two-thirds (66 percent) believe D&I
training should be mandatory at their place of
employment.
Despite the preponderance of D&I workplaces, the leadership
of organizations rarely reflects the employee base. Only one-third
(33 percent) of all employees in our study agree that the
leadership where they work is diverse and inclusive, indicating a
gap at the most senior levels. This figure only rises to 38 percent
for those employers that are considered diverse and inclusive by
employees.
"Our research makes it clear that employees expect greater
diversity and inclusion in their workplaces," said Tai Wingfield, who leads Weber Shandwick's
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion specialty. "The evidence that
D&I also contributes to civility and respect among colleagues
suggests that acknowledging, addressing and adapting to our
differences is a business imperative that companies must embrace to
build reputations and organizational endurance in the future."
Please click here for the full Civility in America 2018:
Civility at Work and In Our Public Squares report and
presentation.
About the Research
Annually since 2010, Weber
Shandwick and Powell Tate, in partnership with KRC Research, have
released Civility in America: A Nationwide Survey. KRC
Research conducted this eighth wave of the Civility in
America survey online from January 2,
2018 to January 17, 2018,
among a sample of 1,481 U.S. adults 18 years and older, drawn from
a national consumer panel. The survey was conducted in both English
and Spanish, as determined by the respondent's preference. KRC
established demographic quotas and weighted data based on U.S.
Census data (age, gender, education, income, race/ethnicity and
region).
D&I definitions presented in questionnaire: By "diversity"
we mean that the place you work has representation of all kinds of
people, across sex, race, class, age and other categories. By
"inclusion" we mean how well people of these different categories
are equally valued, respected, and supported by leaders, managers
and other employees in the workplace.
About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a
leading global communications and marketing services firm in 78
cities with a network extending to 128 cities around the world. The
firm's diverse team of strategists, analysts, producers, designers,
developers and campaign activators has won the most prestigious
awards in the world for innovative, creative approaches and
impactful work. Weber Shandwick was the only public relations
agency included on the Advertising Age Agency A-list in 2014
and 2015 and the only PR firm designated an A-List Agency Standout
in 2017 and 2018. Weber Shandwick was honored as PRWeek's
Global Agency of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, The
Holmes Report's Global Agency of the Year in 2010, 2012, 2014,
2015 and 2017, and The Holmes Report's Global Digital Agency
of the Year in 2016. The firm deploys deep expertise across sectors
and specialty areas, including consumer marketing, corporate
reputation, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial
services, employee engagement, social impact, financial
communications and crisis management, using proprietary social,
digital and analytics methodologies. Weber Shandwick is part of the
Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit
http://www.webershandwick.com.
About Powell Tate
Founded by two of
Washington, D.C.'s most respected
press secretaries – Democrat Jody
Powell and Republican Sheila
Tate – Powell Tate has been one of Washington, D.C.'s leading public affairs
firms for more than two decades, maintaining its bipartisan
heritage while developing cutting edge programs that communicate
across the political aisle and multiple platforms. Recently cited
as one of Washington, D.C.'s "Best
Places to Work" by the Washington Post and Washington Business
Journal, Powell Tate is a division of Weber Shandwick. For more
information, visit www.powelltate.com.
About KRC Research
KRC Research is a global
full-service nonpartisan opinion research and strategy firm. A unit
of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), KRC Research
offers the quality and custom service of a small firm with the
reach of a global organization. For over 30 years, KRC Research has
worked on behalf of corporations, governments, not-for-profits and
the communications firms that represent them. Staffed with
multidisciplinary research professionals, KRC combines
sophisticated research tools with real-world communications
experience. For more information, visit www.krcresearch.com
Contact:
|
Kimberly
Dixon
|
Company:
|
Weber
Shandwick
|
Phone:
|
212.546.7876
|
Email:
|
kdixon@webershandwick.com
|
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