civility

Four Things That Will Cause Your Coworkers to Question Whether You’re Actually Good at Your Job

By in Communication Tags: , ,

Confused_Coworker

You work hard at your job. You want to be productive and effective. And in order to be productive and effective, it’s important for your manager and coworkers to have confidence in your work, and trust you to get it done right.

But according to author John Brandon, there are four mistakes that you can make that can shake your coworkers’ trust and make you lose credibility. Here’s a list of those mistakes with tips on how to avoid making them:

  1. Brag about your successes (constantly) – First, you should know that it’s perfectly OK (and even advisable) to tell your manager about all of the good things that you’ve accomplished. It’s important that your manager knows about the great work you do! But it’s probably not necessary to tell your coworkers about it all the time. Constant bragging could cause them to view you negatively, and they may start to question whether you’re really as great as you say you are. So make sure your manager knows about the projects you’ve completed and the good feedback you’ve received. That’s crucial! But you probably don’t need to mention it every time you talk to your coworkers.
  2. Criticize other people – If you often criticize certain coworkers, it will reflect badly on you. It will make people start to wonder whether you’re also criticizing them when they’re not around. Your coworkers will lose trust in you and may not want to collaborate with you in the future. So try to be kind – even when you’re feeling frustrated.
  3. Don’t tell the whole truth – If you tend to bend the truth just a bit to make yourself look a little better, you should stop. It’s a bad habit to get into. Even if you’ve gotten away with it in the past, eventually someone is going to realize that you’re not being entirely honest. And at that point, you’ll lose your credibility. So be truthful, even when it’s hard or scary. Your coworkers will appreciate your honesty and respect you for it.
  4. Yell at your coworkers – Some people lash out when they lose their tempers. They might yell at their coworkers or make a harsh, cutting remark. If that sounds like you, you should try to control your anger. Lashing out at others never makes a situation better. It only makes other people view you in a negative light. So the next time you get frustrated, take a deep breath and remain calm. Be civil and polite, no matter how annoyed you might be feeling.

…

Brandon, J. (2021, June 4). 4 ways to completely destroy your credibility at work. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/373714

The Link Between Civility and Productivity

By in Communication, Leadership Tags: ,

Civility

I think we’d all like to work in a civil environment – the kind of place where people demonstrate consideration, appreciation, courtesy, and kindness. In a civil workplace, you feel respected and appreciated. You feel safe to share your ideas, and you know that your opinions matter.

And now research has uncovered another reason why workplace civility is important! Several studies have shown that it has a significant impact on employee productivity. When people are treated civilly, they’re more creative, engaged, and enthusiastic about their work. And they’re more likely to meet (and exceed) expectations. In contrast, when people are not treated civilly at work, they tend to focus on these negative encounters. As a result, the quality and quantity of their work suffers.

So be good to your coworkers and the people you manage. Not only will it make everyone feel happier and more satisfied with their work, but it will also make the entire organization more productive and successful!

 

Porath, C. (2016, November 23). Civility at work helps everyone get ahead. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/civility-at-work-helps-everyone-get-ahead-1479917555

 

Reflections on Rudeness

By in Communication, University Culture Tags: , ,

Rude

You might assume that people who work for universities are more civil and polite than people working in the for-profit world. During my career of almost 40 years, I have spent about two thirds of that time working for universities and the rest in the for-profit world. Sadly, I think that people in the for-profit world tend to be more polite than people who work for universities. I must admit that I have no data to back up that assertion — it is simply based on my observation.

It makes me wonder why that could be, and I have been pondering the question rather a lot frequently because I have had to deal with a rather unusual level of rudeness at work recently.

Perhaps the first reason is passion. People don’t usually work for universities for the money. They can usually earn more elsewhere, but they choose the university setting because they are passionate in their zeal to change the world. This can cause disagreements to become personal and emotional rather quickly.

Second, universities tend to be a little too forgiving. There are rarely such severe consequences for bad behavior as in the for-profit world. It often amazes me how universities tolerate persistent bad behavior.

Third, many people in universities believe that the right to be rude is part of the right to free speech. If you question the way people talk to each other, that is often viewed as trespassing on their right to express themselves freely.

Finally, rudeness is expensive. It lowers productivity — and that lowers profits. When an institution is not quite as mindful of the bottom line, nobody cares as much about what rudeness costs.

Why are people rude at all? It can create havoc, it reduces productivity, and people become unhappy!

Fortunately, Johns Hopkins University is changing in this respect. We are moving towards a standardized performance management system; equity, civility, and respect are part of our core values; and with budgets getting tighter, there is going to be less tolerance for ugly behavior. As the song goes, things are getting better all the time!

The Nature of Civility

By in JHU, University Culture Tags: , , ,

Civility

Civility means showing people consideration, appreciation, generosity, and trust. It involves being aware of the people around you, and acting with courtesy and kindness.

Dr. P. M. Forni is a professor at Johns Hopkins University, the director of The Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins, and the author of two highly acclaimed books on civility. In his book, “Choosing Civility,” Dr. Forni presents 25 rules of considerate conduct. We asked Dr. Forni to identify the five rules that he thought were the most important. His picks are listed below.

  • Pay attention – Take notice of your surroundings. Consider the feelings and needs of others. If you pay attention to the world and people around you, you’ll be able to react to situations more thoughtfully and effectively.
  • Be inclusive – Expose yourself to ideas that are different from your own. Dare to go beyond your “comfort zone.” Work to understand and accept other peoples’ identities, cultures, languages, histories, and ways of interacting with the world. Help new acquaintances and coworkers to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance.
  • Respect other people’s time – Value other people’s time as much as you value your own. Be punctual. If you need to cancel an appointment, cancel in advance. If you need help from someone, keep your requests brief and to the point. Keep your phone calls short. When communicating with coworkers, try to be as clear and concise as possible.
  • Respect other people’s space – Be considerate of others. Don’t invade their personal space and try to keep touching to a minimum. Also, be considerate of other people’s territory. Ask before entering another person’s office or cubicle. And if you share a space with your coworkers (like a kitchen or lunchroom), do your part to help keep it clean.
  • Don’t shift responsibility and blame – Never blame someone else for your mistakes. If you are at fault, be honest about it. Admit your mistake and apologize. Don’t focus on who caused the problem, but rather on what can be done to fix it.

Overall, being civil means thinking about the comfort and happiness of others. People who are civil think about the people around them and this helps them make the right decisions about how to behave.

Forni, P. M. (2002). Choosing civility. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.