The Cost of Incivility: Addressing Workplace Challenges into 2025

Workplace and societal incivility reached record highs in 2024, according to the SHRM Q4 2024 Civility Index. A staggering 74% of respondents said they expect the uncivil behaviors they encounter at work to remain the same or worsen in 2025, with political polarization and workplace tensions identified as significant contributors.

SHRM’s latest Civility Index research showed that 44% of U.S. workers believe U.S. residents’ ability to be civil toward one another will worsen in 2025, compared with only 23% who believe it will improve. Over one-third of workers (35%) believe that residents’ ability to work together effectively will get worse or much worse.

As workplace tensions rise, employees are feeling the burden: Nearly 1 in 3 U.S. workers (31%) felt their workplace was ineffective at promoting civility this year. Reflecting this negative sentiment, just under three-quarters of employees (74%) believe that U.S. workers’ perceptions of their workplaces will stay the same or worsen in 2025.

With political polarization at a high, fostering respectful conversations and inclusive work environments will be crucial for business continuity in the coming year. Workplace incivility poses significant risks to both the well-being of workers and the health of businesses, damaging employee engagement and leading to losses in productivity, profit, and retention.  

Leaders must address workplace incivility head-on and foster a culture of respect and inclusion to ensure the well-being of their employees and their business.

Incivility Levels Reached a High in Q4 

The SHRM Q4 Civility Index society-level and workplace-level scores showed the highest levels of incivility recorded in 2024.  

• Societal Civility Score: Workers scored 49.7 out of 100, the highest society-level score recorded in 2024, up 3.6 points from Q3.

• Workplace Civility Score: Workers scored 40.9 out of 100, the highest workplace-level score recorded in 2024, up 3.7 points from Q3 and surpassing 40 points for the first time.

These scores fall in Zone 3, indicating that incivility is common in society and the workplace today—and underscoring the importance of taking action to prevent further escalation.  

Incivility in Both Society and the Workplace

In Q4, U.S. workers reported experiencing the highest rate of uncivil acts in their everyday lives of 2024. Over three-quarters of U.S. workers (76%) indicated they experienced or witnessed acts of incivility. Of those respondents, 56% reported experiencing one or more of these acts while at work.

U.S. workers reported facing marginally more acts of incivility per day in the workplace in Q4 (0.49 acts per day) than in Q3 (0.45 acts per day). The findings showed that U.S. workers collectively experience over 81 million acts of incivility per day in the workplace—an increase from 74.7 million acts per day in Q3— averaging 942 acts of incivility in the workplace per second.

Data from the SHRM Q4 2024 Civility Index.

Political Polarization and the 2024 Election Fueled Incivility at Work

Political viewpoint differences were the leading cause of workplace incivility in Q4, cited by 56% of workers—a 19.1% increase from Q3 and a 51.4% increase from Q2.  The 2024 U.S. general election was another key driver of workplace incivility, with over half of workers (51%) citing it.  

While levels of incivility may have been exacerbated by the election, leaders have a responsibility to ensure this doesn't become the new normal. Proactively addressing workplace incivility will be essential in 2025 because failing to do so could lead to decreased employee morale and productivity, ultimately impacting business performance.  

Failures to Manage Incivility in the Workplace

Nearly 1 in 3 workers (31%) felt that their workplace was ineffective at promoting civility and civil discourse in 2024. With incivility reaching a year-end high in Q4, leaders must go beyond the bare minimum to mitigate incivility and ensure a safe work environment for all employees. 

Workers not only believe that managers and supervisors could do more to prevent incivility at work, but in some instances feel that they may be contributing to workplace cultures that propagate incivility:

• Almost 3 in 4 U.S. workers (74%) felt that managers and supervisors could have done more to prevent workplace incivility.

• 68% of workers believe that managers and supervisors care more about business objectives than how employees are treated.

• 62% of workers agreed that managers and supervisors have ignored acts of incivility in the workplace.  

These findings align with the Q3 results, demonstrating an ongoing need to address the role of leadership in preventing workplace incivility.

Consequences of Incivility  

Workplace incivility not only negatively impacts employee morale and well-being, it also poses significant risks to organizations’ business outcomes. An uncivil workplace can have significant consequences for businesses’ human capital in the following ways:

• Declined employee morale. 

• Decreased employee productivity.

• Accelerated turnover and attrition.

Damages to Productivity  

In Q4, U.S. workers who experienced or witnessed workplace incivility lost an average of 37 minutes of productivity per act of incivility. Additionally, these workers were more likely to take time off. Those who reported experiencing or witnessing acts of incivility took an average of 1.9 days off from work in the past month in response to the incivility.  

Increasing Turnover 

Workplace incivility may also negatively impact retention rates. In Q4, over one-quarter of U.S. workers (26%) said they are likely to leave their jobs in 2025 due to experiencing or witnessing incivility. This turnover could result in significant costs for organizations as they backfill roles. According to SHRM HR data benchmarking reports, the average cost per new hire is $4,683.

Impact on ROI

Heightened turnover poses a financial risk for 2025, but businesses are already experiencing the costs of incivility now. The SHRM Q4 2024 Civility Index reveals that U.S. organizations lost over $2.7 billion per day due to reduced productivity and absenteeism caused by incivility—an increase of over $600 million lost per day from Q3. Here’s a closer look at the factors behind this outcome:

• Considering the reported 37 minutes of productivity lost per act of incivility—and given the average self-reported hourly pay rate ($32.12 per hour) and weekly hours worked—organizations lost approximately $19.74 per uncivil act. Given the total acts of incivility experienced or witnessed in the workplace per day (81,430,650) by the active U.S. labor force of workers 18 years of age or older, this amounts to over $1.6 billion in productivity losses per day due to acts of incivility.

• Considering U.S. workers intentionally took an average of 1.9 days off work due to incivility—and given the average self-reported hourly pay rate and weekly hours worked—organizations lost over $1.1 billion per day from absenteeism due to incivility.

An organization’s employees are among its most valuable investments. Like any other investment, it’s critical for organizations to prioritize the success of employees to maximize return on investment (ROI). For leaders, this entails prioritizing training and policies that foster a culture of respect and civility.

Encouraging Workplace Civility for Better Business Outcomes in 2025

As workplace incivility reached a high in Q4, around 1 in 4 U.S. workers (26%) anticipated it increasing even more in 2025 and 28% believe that U.S. workers’ perceptions of their workplaces will only get worse in 2025. For leaders, this means that it’s more critical than ever to step up to the plate and address their role in preventing workplace incivility.

Steps for Leaders to Foster a Civil Workplace

SHRM’s research showed that employees expect leaders to tackle these issues, with more than two-thirds of U.S. workers (69%) anticipating that their employers will make a greater effort to address civil discourse in the workplace in 2025. To accelerate these efforts, here are four steps that leaders can take to combat incivility and foster an environment of respect in their workplaces:

1. Establish policies and straightforward guidelines.

Develop clear, companywide policies that outline expectations for respectful behavior and define standards for workplace civility. If your organization has existing policies in place, consider updating them to reflect current societal concerns, such as the rise in incivility due to political viewpoint differences. Use HR as a resource to establish or update these policies, ensure they are clearly communicated to employees, and address any questions or concerns.

2. Provide training for managers and supervisors.

Equip managers with the tools and training necessary to address difficult conversations, support employees who experience acts of incivility, and handle transgressions consistently and fairly. Encourage managers to keep open-door policies to foster an environment in which employees feel comfortable voicing concerns. This will enable managers to address individual acts of incivility before they escalate into larger workplace culture issues.

3. Empower employees with resources.

Ensure that your employees know how to report acts of incivility and access HR for support. Communicating these processes and proactively providing employees with resources demonstrates your company’s commitment to fostering a respectful work environment and can enhance employees’ sense of belonging and job satisfaction.

4. Model civility and respect.

As a leader, modeling civility in every workplace interaction may seem like an immense responsibility. However, it begins with simple actions such as approaching conversations with respect and empathy, listening, and keeping an open mind. By encouraging open communication across teams and transparently addressing societal and workplace issues, you demonstrate your commitment to fostering a respectful and inclusive work environment for all employees.

Access additional civility tools and insights from SHRM by downloading the Civility Starter Kit.