Workplace Incivility and Employee Well-Being

Workplace incivility refers to low-intensity, ambiguous acts of disrespect or rudeness that violate norms of mutual regard. Though often dismissed as trivial, such behaviours can accumulate over time, precipitating declines in psychological health, somatic symptoms and overall employee well-being. Recipients of uncivil conduct typically report heightened stress, disrupted sleep and diminished job satisfaction. Moreover, incivility can elicit maladaptive coping responses—such as rumination or counter-incivility—fuel a contagious cycle of negativity and erode organisational trust. These dynamics undermine work engagement, dampen team cohesion and elevate intentions to leave. The phenomenon transcends sectors and cultures, from hospital wards to academic institutions and remote digital platforms, emphasising its global significance. Contemporary research integrates stress-and-resource frameworks to elucidate mediating mechanisms and moderating factors, including perceived control, social support and leadership quality. Practical applications centre on cultivating civility norms, strengthening supervisory support and deploying clear policies to pre-empt incivility and foster resilient, healthy workplaces.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Workplace Incivility and Employee Well-Being publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in workplace incivility and employee well-being across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Workplace incivility: Low-intensity behaviours that breach norms of respect, such as dismissive remarks or ignoring colleagues.

Employee well-being: A multidimensional construct encompassing psychological, physical and social health at work.

Turnover intention: An individual’s self-reported propensity or plan to leave their current organisation.

Work engagement: A positive, fulfilling work-related state characterised by vigour, dedication and absorption.

Cyber-incivility: Uncivil acts conducted through digital media, including hostile emails or demeaning messages.

References

1. Models of Workplace Incivility: The Relationships to Instigated Incivility and Negative Outcomes. BioMed Research International (2015).
2. Workplace Incivility and Turnover Intention in Organizations: A Meta-Analytic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2021).
3. Beyond one work day? A daily diary study on causal and reverse effects between experienced workplace incivility and behaving rude towards others. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology (2019).
4. Registered Nurses’ Experiences With Incivility During the Early Phase of COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a Multi-State Survey. Workplace Health & Safety (2021).