Customers Hate Rudeness Even When It’s Not Directed at Them

2010 October 29 By

In their research studies, Porath, MacInnis, & Folkes (2010) “demonstrate[d] that witnessing an incident of employee-employee incivility cause[d] consumers to make negative generalizations about (a) others who work for the firm, (b) the firm as a whole, and (c) future encounters with the firm, inferences that go well beyond the incivility incident” (p. 292).

We might expect that incivility directed at consumers would just have negative effects on those consumers. However, and this is what’s noteworthy, research showed that “consumers are also negatively affected even when they are mere observers of incivility between employees” (Porath et al., 2010, p. 301).

In Study 1, the researchers (Porath et al., 2010) used an employee-employee incivility incident among representatives of a bank, and involved a reprimand of one employee by another. Study 1 demonstrated that consumers became angry when they witnessed an employee behaving in an uncivil manner toward another employee, even when the organization was new (or unknown) to them (consumers).

In Study 2, the researchers (Porath et al., 2010) used an employee-employee incivility incident among representatives of a well-known bookstore. The researchers discovered that, even for a place that was familiar, when customers witnessed one employee being treated uncivilly by another, the customers’ anger lead to ruminating about the incident and faster and more negative generalizations about the company.

Sound Bite: Customers are watching not only how companies treat them, but how these organizations treat their own employees and how coworkers within the organizations treat one another. More importantly, even when bad behaviors are not directed at the customers themselves, their negative observations of incivility between employees lead to negative impressions about the organizations for which the employees work.

“[I]ncivility (and the anger it induces) causes consumers to make far-reaching and negative conclusions about the firm” (Porath et al., 2010, p. 300).

Reference

Porath, C., MacInnis, D., & Folkes, V. (2010). Witnessing incivility among employees: Effects on consumer anger and negative inferences about companies. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 292-303.

Filed Under: Attitudes & Emotions, Incivility, Occupational Health Psychology, Organizational Psychology, Stress, Teams, Training & Development Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Seven Ways to Avoid Becoming the Boss from Hell

2010 October 22 By

The American Management Association posts articles, white papers, and various other training materials for business professionals on its website. I came across this piece about a year ago (although it was originally posted in April 2007), that ties in quite nicely with Dr. Robert Sutton’s newly released book, “Good Boss, Bad Boss.” You can read my review of “Good Boss, Bad Boss” in my August 2010 post.

Below (in its entirety) are Seven Ways to Avoid Becoming the Boss from Hell:

  1. Treat employees with respect and dignity
    • Discuss personal and sensitive issues in private rather than publicly.
    • Get to know your employees as people rather than mere workers.
  2. Involve employees in decisions
    • Let employees know that their ideas are welcome.
    • Thank employees for their suggestions and use them.
  3. Empower employees
    • Delegate whenever possible.
    • Allow employees to have more of a say in how they do their work.
  4. Clearly communicate assignments
    • Communicate goals and expectations both individually and in writing.
    • Ask employees to restate the goals and assignments in their own words.
  5. Listen, listen, listen
    • Practice active listening techniques such as asking open-ended questions.
    • Learn how to probe for information, ideas, and feelings when speaking with employees.
  6. Recognize that your job includes solving “people problems”
    • Be prepared to address employee issues such as ineffective performance, health problems, family crises, substance abuse, and harassment from coworkers.
    • When necessary, seek counsel and involvement from professionals in the human resource department.
  7. Provide personal recognition
    • Catch employees in the act of performing well and provide them with recognition immediately, rather than waiting for the next performance review discussion.
    • Just like the best gifts to receive are those when there is no occasion, periodically thank employees individually for their hard work.

Reference

American Management Association. (2007). Are you the “Boss from Hell?” Retrieved from http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/Are-You-the-Boss-from-Hell.aspx

Filed Under: Coaching, Coaching Psychology, Executive Coaching, Incivility, Leadership, Occupational Health Psychology, Organizational Psychology, Stress, Teams, Training & Development Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Psychology Majors Unhappy about Lack of Career Options

2010 October 15 By

I came across an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about the dissatisfaction of students majoring in psychology and their career paths (Light, 2010). According to a Wall Street Journal study, only 26% of psychology majors are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with what’s available to them career-wise.

The study was conducted by PayScale.com between April and June of 2010 of 10,800 employees who received their bachelor’s between 1999 and 2010. However, the study did not include those without work, rather it only included those who already have jobs.

Dr. R. Eric Landrum (author of Finding Jobs with a Psychology Bachelor’s Degree), explained that one reason for the dissatisfaction is that there are not many fields that recruit students with psychology undergraduate degrees. In addition, the Wall Street Journal article also said those who choose not to pursue graduate education in psychology will oftentimes (within a year) switch to a different area completely.

In an earlier article on Psi Chi, Dr. Landrum (2001) shared,

“It’s best to think of your undergraduate education in psychology as learning ‘about’ psychology, not learning ‘to do’ psychology.”

I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Unlike many other fields that offer students practical, hands-on skills, the undergraduate psychology degree offers an introduction to what the field of psychology is like. It isn’t until the Master’s level, when students are introduced to practicums, that they will actually “use” the things they’ve learned and apply it to real life, especially in a mental health counseling capacity.

It can be frustrating to those at the bachelor’s level to feel that they are not as “marketable” as their peers majoring in other fields, especially in this tough economy. However, if students understand that learning about psychology equips them with important critical thinking skills and a broad understanding of human behaviors and the science behind it, then they will approach any career with confidence and an awareness of the unique skillset (see the University of Dayton link below) that psychology provides in preparing them to become “a well-rounded, well-educated citizen and person.”

References

Landrum, R.E. (2001). I’m Getting My Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology–What Can I Do With It? Retrieved from http://www.psichi.org/pubs/articles/article_50.aspx

Light, J. (Oct. 2010). Psych majors aren’t happy with options. Retrieved from Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704011904575538561813341020.html

University of Dayton. The Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology: Employment Opportunities and Strategies. Retrieved from http://campus.udayton.edu/~psych/handbook/BACHOP~1.HTM

Filed Under: Meaningful Work, Training & Development Tagged With: ,

How to Create an Inspiring Work Setting

2010 October 8 By

Harvard Business Review’s Answer Exchange lists some great ways to foster an inspired work environment:

  • Regularly explain to your employees the importance of their work to the company’s larger goals.
  • Break down long-term assignments into clear, achievable, short-term milestones that can be celebrated when achieved.
  • Demonstrate confidence in your employees’ ability to overcome problems.
  • Regularly take employees aside and ask them if they feel challenged, listened to, and recognized.
  • When giving feedback, balance negative criticism with feedback that accentuates the positive.
  • Always recognize others for a job well done. Use rewards to acknowledge superior performance.
  • Celebrate every success and milestone.

Reference

Harvard Business Review (2010). HBR Answers Exchange. Retrieved from http://answers.hbr.org/

Filed Under: Attitudes & Emotions, Happy & Unhappy, Leadership, Meaningful Work, Organizational Psychology, Teams, Training & Development Tagged With: , , , ,

Work Stresses, Bad Bosses, and Heart Attacks

2010 October 1 By

“In 2007, nearly 80 million Americans—one out of every three adults—had some type of cardiovascular disease (CVD)…[In fact,] CVD has been the leading killer of U.S. adults in every year since 1900, with the exception of 1918, when a pandemic flu killed more people” (Donatelle, 2009, p. 347).

Robert Sutton in his new book “Good Boss, Bad Boss” located a Swedish study which tracked 3,122 men for 10 years. The study found that those with the best bosses suffered fewer heart attacks than those with bad bosses. Another researcher discovered that no matter what the occupation, roughly 75% of the workforce listed their immediate supervisor/boss as the most stressful part of their job (Sutton, 2010).

Landy & Conte (2010), citing studies by Fox, Dwyer, & Ganster; Cohen & Herbert; Krantz & McCeney) state that work environments that are stressful are linked to increases in cortisol (a stress hormone). Furthermore, long-term, elevated levels of stress hormones (like cortisol) lead to decreased functioning of the immune system and heart disease. Cortisol is released as our bodies adjust to chronic stress, and stays in the bloodstream longer because of slower metabolic responses. If the stress remains unresolved, cortisol can reduce the body’s ability to fight off diseases and illnesses (Donatelle, 2009).

“The largest epidemiological study to date, the INTERHEART Study with almost 30,000 participants in 52 countries, identified stress as one of the key modifiable risk factors for heart attack. Similarly, the National Health Interview Study, conducted annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics, has reported that stress accounts for approximately 30 percent of the attributable risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack)” (Donatelle, 2009, p. 65).

Bottom Line: 75% of the workforce say their immediate boss is the most stressful part of their job (Sutton, 2010). Stress-filled jobs usually mean working for “bad bosses.” As statistics (on stress and heart attacks) indicate, and as Sutton (Aug. 2010) explains, “Lousy bosses can kill you—literally.”

References

Donatelle, R. (2009). Health: The basics (8th ed.). San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings.

Landy, F. J. & Conte, J. M. (2010). Work in the 21st Century: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology (3rd Ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Sutton, R.I. (2010). Good boss, bad boss: How to be the best… and learn from the worst. New York: Business Plus.

Sutton, R.I. (August 2010). Why good bosses tune in to their people. McKinsey Quarterly. Retrieved from https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Why_good_bosses_tune_in_to_their_people_2656

Filed Under: Attitudes & Emotions, Happy & Unhappy, Health & Wellness, Incivility, Leadership, Meaningful Work, Occupational Health Psychology, Organizational Psychology, Stress, Teams, Training & Development Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,