Frontline Work When Everyone Is Angry

20余年來，我一直在研究工作場所的不文明行為（定義是對他人粗魯、不尊重或漠不關(guān)心的行為），開展調(diào)研了解了世界各地數(shù)十萬人的經(jīng)歷。

I’ve studied incivility — defined as rudeness, disrespect, or insensitive behavior — in workplaces for more than 20 years, polling hundreds of thousands of people worldwide about their experiences.

我的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，隨著時間的推移，關(guān)于不文明行為的報告有所增加——這不僅可以從飛機(jī)乘客拒絕戴口罩、咖啡館顧客大罵帶有種族歧視的蔑稱等網(wǎng)絡(luò)熱門視頻中得到證明，前不久我的問卷調(diào)查結(jié)果也證明了這一事實(shí)。調(diào)查詢問了世界各地兩千多人最近感受到的不文明行為。在這場全球衛(wèi)生危機(jī)中，即使一線工作人員被譽(yù)為不可或缺的英雄，也依然會成為出氣筒。疲憊不堪、壓力太大且往往失去理智的顧客（有時是同事）把焦慮和挫敗感發(fā)泄在他們身上。

My research has found that reports of incivility are indeed on the rise — as evidenced not just by viral videos of airline passengers refusing to wear masks or café patrons hurling racial epithets but also by my recent survey that asked more than 2,000 people around the world how they have experienced rudeness lately. Even amid a global health crisis in which frontline workers were heralded as essential and heroic, these employees still became punching bags on whom weary, stressed-out, often irrational customers (and sometimes fellow employees) took out their anxieties and frustrations.

這種不文明行為，不僅對直接經(jīng)歷它的員工有負(fù)面影響，目睹行為的人也會受到影響——這些都會損害企業(yè)與社會。本文將探討這類后果，并討論領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者如何協(xié)助改善現(xiàn)狀。

This kind of incivility leads to negative outcomes not only for the workers who experience it directly but also those who witness it — all of which harms businesses and society. In this article, we’ll explore those consequences and discuss how leaders can help to improve things.

注意，不文明行為有多種形式，從忽視他人到故意妨害他人，再到嘲笑、戲弄和輕視他人。盡管不文明行為可能會演變成攻擊性的行為，但本文中所指的不文明行為并非物理攻擊或暴力。

Note that incivility takes many forms, from ignoring people to intentionally undermining them to mocking, teasing, and belittling them. For this article, it does not refer to physical aggression or violence,?although incivility can spiral into aggressive behaviors.

我們身在何處

Where We Are

辨別和研究不文明行為可能很困難，因為不良行為是由承受者的感受決定的。你認(rèn)為某種行為不文明，顧客或許并不這么想。但如果你覺得自己沒有得到尊重，無論對方是有意還是無意，你的工作都會受到影響。另外，對不文明行為的判斷還會因文化、世代、性別、行業(yè)和組織而異。

Identifying and studying incivility can be difficult, because bad behavior is often in the eye of the recipient. Behavior you consider uncivil may not be regarded the same way by a customer — but if you feel disrespected, whether your counterpart intended it or not, your work will suffer. In addition, what’s considered uncivil varies by culture, generation, gender, industry, and organization.

不管個人如何定義不文明行為，人們對不文明行為的報告都變得更多了，并且已經(jīng)持續(xù)一段時間了。2005年接受我問卷調(diào)查的員工里，近一半的人表示自己每個月至少在工作中受到一次粗暴對待。2011年這個比例上升到55%，2016年已經(jīng)提升到了62%。

Regardless of how individuals define incivility, they’re reporting more of it — and have been for a while now. In 2005 nearly half of the workers I surveyed across the globe said they were treated rudely at work at least once a month. In 2011 it was up to 55%, and by 2016 it had climbed to 62%.

2022年8月，我設(shè)計了一項新的問卷調(diào)查，進(jìn)一步追蹤不文明行為的發(fā)展趨勢，并更深入了解當(dāng)今企業(yè)及社會一線的狀況。這套問卷借鑒了之前我與南加州大學(xué)馬歇爾商學(xué)院營銷學(xué)教授德博拉·麥金尼斯（Deborah MacInnis）和瓦萊麗·?？怂梗╒alerie Folkes）一同開展的以顧客為中心的研究，以及來自各行各業(yè)面向消費(fèi)者的從業(yè)人員的觀點(diǎn)。

In August of this year, I designed a new survey to further track incivility trends and glean more insight into what’s happening on the front lines of business and society today. It drew on customer-focused studies I previously conducted with marketing professors Deborah MacInnis and Valerie Folkes at USC Marshall School of Business, as well as on insights from people in a range of consumer-facing industries.

在新的問卷調(diào)查中，我收集的數(shù)據(jù)來自世界各地（除南極洲以外所有主要地區(qū)皆有）25個行業(yè)兩千多個不同職位的人，包括一線員工和在工作中觀察過一線員工的人。以下是調(diào)查結(jié)果：

In the new survey, the data I collected came from more than 2,000 people in more than 25 industries in various roles across the globe (representing every major region except Antarctica). They included both frontline employees and people who had observed them at work. Here’s what I found:

●?76%的受訪者每月至少遭遇一次不文明行為；

●?78%的人每月在工作中至少目睹一次不文明行為，70%的人每月至少目睹兩到三次；

●?73%的受訪者表示顧客不良行為并不罕見；

●?78%的人認(rèn)為現(xiàn)在顧客對員工的不良行為比五年前更常見；

●?66%的人認(rèn)為現(xiàn)在顧客對其他顧客的不良行為比五年前更常見。

●?76% of respondents experience incivility at least once a month.

●?78% witness incivility at work at least once a month, and 70% witness it at least two to three times a month.

●?73% report that it’s not unusual for customers to behave badly.

●?78% believe that bad behavior from customers toward employees is more common than it was five years ago.

●?66% believe bad behavior from customers toward other customers is more common than it was five years ago.

從我2012年開展關(guān)于顧客不文明行為的問卷調(diào)查至今，這些數(shù)字一直在大幅度穩(wěn)定增長。當(dāng)時61%的參與者表示顧客的不良行為并不罕見，49%的人認(rèn)為顧客對員工的不良行為比五年前更為普遍，35%的人認(rèn)為顧客對其他顧客的不良行為也更普遍了。

These numbers have risen steadily and sharply since my 2012 survey about customer incivility. In that survey, 61% of respondents reported that it was not unusual for customers to behave badly, 49% believed that bad behavior from customers toward employees was more common than it was five years before, and 35% believed bad behavior from customers toward other customers was also more common.

情況已經(jīng)十分惡劣。一些不文明行為過于極端，難以糾正，而一些人沒有動力改變或不愿改變。在我的研究中，4%的人說自己行為粗魯是因為這樣很有趣，而且不會遭到處罰。不過研究表明，許多不文明行為是可以控制的，要做到這一點(diǎn)，我們需要了解不文明行為的驅(qū)動要素。

Needless to say, it’s gotten pretty ugly out there. Some uncivil behavior may be too extreme to fix, and some people are unmotivated or unwilling to change; in my research, 4% of people report being rude because it’s fun and they can get away with it. But research shows that much of incivility can be reined in. To do that, we need to understand its drivers.

我們?yōu)楹蔚搅诉@個地步

How We Got Here

那么，為什么不文明現(xiàn)象似乎越來越嚴(yán)重？我的研究表明，是多方因素的綜合作用讓我們到了這個地步：

So, why does it feel like incivility is getting worse? My research suggests that several compounding factors and pressures have brought us to this point:

壓力

多年以來，我發(fā)現(xiàn)壓力始終是不文明行為的頭號驅(qū)動因素。在我最近的數(shù)據(jù)里，曾經(jīng)粗魯對待同事的受訪者有73%將這種行為歸咎于壓力，61%的人說是工作負(fù)擔(dān)太重。傳染病、經(jīng)濟(jì)、戰(zhàn)爭、政治觀點(diǎn)分化、工作性質(zhì)變化，以及持續(xù)的不確定性，都造成了巨大的影響。

Stress.?

Over the years, I’ve found that stress is the number one driver of incivility. In my most recent data, 73% of respondents who had been rude to a coworker blamed it on stress, and 61% pointed to being overloaded with work. The pandemic, the economy, war, divisive politics, the changing nature of work, and continued uncertainty are all taking a toll.

負(fù)面情緒

心中涌動負(fù)面情緒的時候，我們可能會發(fā)脾氣，或者把情緒發(fā)泄在別人身上，而且常常意識不到這一點(diǎn)。即使保持克制，當(dāng)我們不舒服時，在這方面的注意程度也會下降，更難用積極且尊重人的方式互動。

Negative emotions.?

Naturally, as negative emotions swell in us, we may lash out or take them out on others, often without realizing it. Even if we muster restraint, when we’re not feeling well we’re less mindful and less capable of?interacting positively and respectfully.

弱化的聯(lián)結(jié)

我們也可以把粗魯行為蔓延的現(xiàn)象歸因于社群和工作場所普遍的人際關(guān)系破裂。如果人們感覺不到自己被重視、被欣賞或被傾聽，缺乏社群的感受就會加劇——絕大多數(shù)員工都是這樣。有時微妙（或者沒那么微妙）的行為最讓人難受。

Weakened ties.?

We can also attribute the epidemic of rudeness to a general fraying of community and workplace relationships. The feeling of lacking community is exacerbated when people don’t feel valued, appreciated, or heard — which applies to the vast majority of employees. Sometimes subtle (or not-so-subtle) behaviors are what sting most.

技術(shù)

技術(shù)有很多好處，但也可能導(dǎo)致更嚴(yán)重的脫節(jié)和不文明行為。正如許許多多的一線員工和收銀員所說，技術(shù)還會讓我們分散注意力，不關(guān)注面前的人。我們往往忙著刷Instagram或者戴著耳機(jī)聽音樂，顧不上跟為自己服務(wù)或結(jié)賬的人互動——說出簡單的“你好”“請”或“謝謝你”的次數(shù)也減少了。

Technology.?

For all its benefits, technology can lead to greater disconnection and rudeness. It can also distract us from the humans in front of us, as countless frontline employees and cashiers have reported. Often we’re too busy scrolling through Instagram or listening to music on our headphones to interact with those serving us or ringing up our groceries — much less to utter a simple “Hello,” “Please,” or “Thank you.”

這種對技術(shù)的重度使用，特別是對社交媒體的使用，可能會讓我們付出代價。我們每天都在（有意識或無意識地）接收大量負(fù)面情緒。我們消費(fèi)的內(nèi)容不僅影響自己，也影響其他人。我們從網(wǎng)上獲取的東西可能影響我們的情緒和心理健康，而且我們也會把自己的焦慮、抑郁和壓力傳遞給別人。

This heavy use of technology, and of social media in particular, may come with a price: We’re taking in a whole lot of negativity (consciously or unconsciously) on a daily basis. The content we consume affects not only us but others too. What we ingest from online sources can harm our mood and mental health, and we can?pass our anxiety, depression, and stress on to others.

最后，在數(shù)字時代，信息往往會被溝通障礙和誤解影響——而不幸的是，辱罵更容易發(fā)生在非面對面交流的情況下。雖然電子通信以非凡的方式將我們集合在一起，卻也讓我們隔著一個安全的距離，自由地表達(dá)自己的挫敗感、辱罵和蔑視他人。

Finally, in the digital age?messages are often subject to communication gaps and misunderstanding?— and, unfortunately, putdowns are more easily delivered when it doesn’t happen face-to-face. While electronic communication can bring us together in remarkable ways, it also?liberates us to voice our frustrations, hurl insults, and take people down a notch from a safe distance.

缺乏自我意識

我在幾十年的研究中得到的最大啟迪之一是，不文明行為通常源于無知，而非惡意。人們?nèi)狈ψ晕乙庾R。根據(jù)與我合作的組織心理學(xué)家塔莎·尤里克（Tasha Eurich）的研究，高達(dá)95%的人覺得自己有自我意識，但實(shí)際上能意識到自己行為的人只有10%到15%。這意味著80%到85%的人誤解了他人對自己的看法和自己對他人的影響。我們也許用意是好的，并且努力保持耐心和寬容，但我們的語氣、非語言信號或行動，在互動對象和互動見證人看來，或許是別的意思。

Lack of self-awareness.?

One of the biggest takeaways from my decades of research is that incivility usually arises from ignorance — not malice. People lack self-awareness. According to?research by Tasha Eurich, an organizational psychologist and a collaborator of mine, a whopping 95% of people think they’re self-aware but only 10%–15% actually are. That means 80%–85% of people misunderstand how they’re perceived and how they affect others. We may have good intentions and work hard to be patient and tolerant, but our tones, nonverbal signals, or actions may come across differently to the people we interact with and those who witness the interactions.

不文明行為的代價

The Costs of Incivility

研究表明，不文明就像一般感冒：會傳染，傳播速度快，工作、家庭和社群中的任何人都可能是攜帶者，而且很容易就會被感染。不文明行為擴(kuò)散，會在以下幾個方面影響人與組織。

Research shows?that rudeness is like the common cold: It’s contagious, it spreads quickly, anyone can be a carrier — at work, at home, online, or in our communities — and getting infected doesn’t take much. When incivility does spread, it affects people and organizations in several ways.

不文明行為對身心的損害。僅僅是接觸到粗魯?shù)脑~語，都會降低我們處理和回憶信息的能力，機(jī)能失調(diào)和攻擊性的想法（有時是行為）會急速增加?？吹酱拄?shù)谋憩F(xiàn)和不文明行為的誘因，比如在社交媒體上看到一條討厭的評論，或者聽到一場有爭議的采訪，會對認(rèn)知造成損害，干擾我們的工作記憶，影響表現(xiàn)。這類干擾可能極其嚴(yán)重。例如，已有研究證明，接觸粗魯行為會對醫(yī)療團(tuán)隊的診斷和流程表現(xiàn)產(chǎn)生負(fù)面影響。

Incivility’s mental and physical toll.?Merely being exposed to rude words reduces our ability to process and recall information. Dysfunctional and aggressive thoughts (and sometimes actions) can skyrocket.?Witnessing rudeness?and triggers of incivility — such as reading a nasty comment on social media or listening to an argumentative interview —?takes a cognitive toll, interfering with our working memory and decreasing our performance. And these disruptions can be catastrophic. For example, exposure to rudeness has been shown to?negatively impact medical teams’ diagnoses and procedural performance.?

不文明行為在商業(yè)上的影響。我最近的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，人們看到員工或一線工人被粗魯對待，85%的人感到煩惱，80%感到不安，75%感到憤怒，此外還有61%的人表示自己感到痛苦，43%感覺受到威脅。

Incivility’s toll on business.?In my recent research, I found that when people witness rude treatment of employees or frontline workers, 85% report being annoyed, 80% are upset, and 75% are angry. Additionally, 61% report being distressed and 43% feel threatened.

顧客看到其他顧客對員工無禮，會有幾種不同的反應(yīng)。他們對員工的態(tài)度會有所改善，但對員工所在組織的感受會發(fā)生轉(zhuǎn)變，而這種轉(zhuǎn)變對公司而言代價高昂：42%的人表示粗魯行為改變了自己對公司的看法，40%的人質(zhì)疑公司是否還想再做生意，65%的人認(rèn)為組織應(yīng)當(dāng)更好地保護(hù)員工，45%的人質(zhì)疑組織價值觀——總體而言，人們使用該公司產(chǎn)品及服務(wù)的意愿下降了35%。麥金尼斯、?？怂购臀野l(fā)現(xiàn)，這些感受與對人類尊嚴(yán)和他人是否得到尊重的關(guān)注緊密相連。

When customers witness other customers being uncivil to employees, they have a few responses. Their attitudes toward the employees improve, but their feelings toward the workers’ organization shift in costly ways: 42% report that the rude behavior changes their perception of the company, 40% question whether they want to do business there again, 65% think the organization should better protect its employees, 45% question its values — and, overall, people’s willingness to use the company’s products and services drops 35%.?MacInnis, Folkes, and I found?that these feelings are tied to concerns for human dignity and whether others are being treated respectfully.

所幸，文明的感染力也一樣大。我們無法控制顧客的行為，但可以制定和執(zhí)行尊重人的行為規(guī)范，指導(dǎo)員工處理困難對話，并展示休息和恢復(fù)的價值，協(xié)助員工應(yīng)對不良行為。我的研究證實(shí)，善意、體貼和尊重可以發(fā)揮強(qiáng)大的效果，創(chuàng)造一種積極的文明動力，讓他人甚至是那些粗魯?shù)念櫩妥龀龈M(jìn)或改進(jìn)等的回應(yīng)，并以此為基礎(chǔ)繼續(xù)發(fā)展。

Fortunately, civility’s power to spread is just as great. We can’t control what customers do, but we can equip our employees to handle bad behavior by establishing and enforcing norms of respect, coaching them to have difficult conversations, and showing them the value of rest and recovery. My research confirms that kindness, consideration, and respect can have a potent effect, creating a positive dynamic of civility that others — maybe even those rude customers — will respond to and build on.

關(guān)鍵詞：職場

克里斯汀·波拉斯（Christine Porath) | 文??

克里斯汀·波拉斯是喬治敦大學(xué)管理學(xué)教授，也是一名協(xié)助領(lǐng)先企業(yè)創(chuàng)造繁榮工作場所的咨詢顧問。她的著作有《把握社群：團(tuán)結(jié)起來讓我們從生存走向繁榮》（Mastering Community: The Surprising Ways Coming Together Moves Us from Surviving to Thriving）、《職場禮儀2.0：提升人際交往能力的技巧》（Mastering Civility: A Manifesto for the Workplace）以及與人合著的《不良行為的代價》（The Cost of Bad Behavior）。

蔣薈蓉 | 譯?? 時青靖 | 校?? 廖琦菁 | 編輯

本文有刪節(jié)，原文見《哈佛商業(yè)評論》中文版2023年2月刊。