Civility and Leadership in the Workplace

Ethics Sage Speaks Out About Challenges to Civility and Ethical Leadership

True civility does manifest itself in good manners, proper etiquette and politeness. But it also runs deeper and is more profound. Simply put, civility requires restraint, respect and responsibility in everyday life. Without these, we can never act ethically. Iin today’s blog I examine civility and leadership in the workplace.

Business leaders wield considerable influence within their organization. It is iportant for them to model civility to encourage open communication in the workplace. By setting an example of what civility looks like in action, leaders can improve the culture of their organization and create lasting business benefits, including greater productivity and staff retention.

According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), employees at organizations with equitable leadership practices, a set of behaviors that includes appreciating employees’ perspectives, are 19 times more likely to rate the organization’s culture as good or excellent.

Benefits of Promoting Workplace Civility

According to recent SHRM studies, some of the benefits of promoting workplace civility include:

• Workers who rate their workplace as uncivil are three times more likely to say they are dissatisfied with their jobs and twice as likely to say they will leave their jobs over the next 12 months.
• Acts of incivility can result in an average productivity loss of 31 minutes per incident.
• Between lost productivity and absenteeism, incivility costs U.S. businesses more than $2 billion a day.
• 76% of employees who believe their workplace is civil say they have a sense of belonging at work, while just 43% of employees who believe their workplace is uncivil say the same.
• Given that U.S. workers collectively experience more than 201 million acts of incivility every day, a civil culture can be a powerful competitive edge that makes your organization more productive and more attractive to top talent.

Benefits of Developing a Civil Workplace

A civil workplace culture yields numerous organizational advantages that are difficult to obtain otherwise. According to the SHRM study,

• 26% of U.S. workers said it is likely they will leave their job in 2025 because of incivility. One reason may be how they perceive their managers’ commitment to building a civil workplace.
• 68% of respondents to the survey believe that their manager cares more about business objectives than how people are treated at work.
• 74% of workers agreed that their manager or supervisor could have done more to prevent incivility at work.
• The collective daily loss to U.S. organizations in terms of productivity and absenteeism due to incivility was $2.8 Billion.

How to Model Civility for a Better Workplace Culture

Modeling civility begins with showing respect for employees regardless of their nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation and political beliefs. It does not mean avoiding difficult conversations or disagreements. Avoiding emotionally charged topics, such as politics, in the workplace is ineffective and only deprives workers of healthy models for handling sensitive discussions. Instead, the SHRM points out that civility requires approaching challenging conversations with empathy and intending to find common ground rather than engaging in divisive behavior.

Modeling civility can be challenging because it requires holistic commitment. During a challenging conversation, leaders need to be fully engaged and aware of the messages they’re sending.

Essential elements of modeling civility as a leader include:

Open body language: Civil behavior begins before a word is said. Leaders can use nonverbal cues to convey respect and openness, putting those around them at ease. Appropriate greetings, open body posture, and other gestures can demonstrate a commitment to open dialogue.

Active listening: When leaders practice active listening, they prevent conversations from escalating and help both parties feel their point of view is being heard. Conversely, leaders who dominate conversations or dismiss employee feedback create a culture where individuals feel undervalued and ignored. Ask clarifying questions, encourage others to elaborate on their ideas, and keep the dialogue open-ended. Remember that the goal is to make the other person feel that their opinion has been heard, rather than convincing them to adopt your outlook.

Emotional regulation: Maintaining emotional self-awareness is paramount when modeling civility. This involves recognizing and managing your emotional triggers appropriately in challenging situations. Avoid speaking in anger or making the disagreement personal. By remaining calm and respectful, even under pressure, you create an environment of trust and safety for employees to express themselves openly. If a conversation becomes emotional, don’t be afraid to take a break to cool off and then re-engage with a new focus that looks to build common ground.

Next Steps for Leaders

Writing for the SHRM, Jesse Stanchak points out that business leaders must prioritize civility as a cornerstone of organizational culture. He identifies some actionable steps to foster a more civil and productive workplace:

1. Set Expectations: Leadership sets the tone for organizational culture. Leaders should model respectful behavior and communicate that they expect the same while setting meaningful guardrails around political discussions.
2. Promote Awareness: Raise employees’ awareness of the impact of civility and proper management of workplace conflict on organizational success. Provide training and resources to empower employees to recognize and address uncivil behavior effectively.
3. Establish Clear Policies: Implement clear policies for addressing incivility in the workplace that are consistent with regulations. Encourage employees to report incidents of misconduct without fear of reprisal and ensure swift and equitable resolution processes.
4. Invest in Inclusion, Equity and Diversity (IE&D): Establishing effective IE&D programs can help foster a culture of belonging and respect for all employees. Provide education and resources to foster cultural competence and mitigate unconscious bias.
5. Encourage Civil Conversations: Business leaders can promote civility by fostering civil conversations in the workplace. In 2024, SHRM is challenging organizations to launch one million civil conversations. Join the movement and make civility part of your culture.

Leadership and ethical corporate culture go hand in hand. Leaders who are effective in their leadership position establish an ethical culture. They set an ethical ‘tone at the top.’ They serve as role models for those in the organization. I hope that the points discussed in this blog will enable leaders to do better—to be better—to model ethical behavior.

Blog posted by Steven Mintz, PhD, Professor Emeritus Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, on November 5, 2025. You can learn more about Steve’s activities by going to his website at: www.stevenmintzethics.com.