The deadly cost of workplace rudeness

New research reveals that rudeness in the workplace is far more than just unpleasant — it can be downright dangerous.

Teams from the University of Florida, Indiana University, and other universities across the U.S. and Israel recently conducted five eye-opening studies about rudeness, uncovering that even mild instances of this behavior can significantly impair employees’ performance. This could have potentially life-threatening consequences in critical fields like health care.

“Many workplaces treat rudeness as a minor interpersonal issue,” said Amir Erez, Ph.D., W.A. McGriff, III Professor at the University of Florida Warrington College of Business. “Our research shows that it’s a major threat to productivity and even safety. Organizations should treat it as such.”