Incivility Hits Highest Level This Year—and Is Costing Employers Billions

On the heels of the presidential election, incivility has reached new highs.

Both the society-level and workplace-level scores on the SHRM Civility Index rose to their highest levels yet in the final quarter of the year—meaning that rates of uncivil behaviors increased in the past couple of months, according to the Q4 Civility Index, released Dec. 16.

On average, U.S. workers scored a 49.7 out of 100 on the Civility Index when asked about incivility they personally experienced or witnessed in their everyday lives (both in and out of work) over the past month. That’s an increase from the 46.1 score in Q3. Meanwhile, U.S. workers scored an average of 40.9 out of 100 on the Civility Index when asked about incivility they personally experienced or witnessed while at work over the past month. Crossing the 40-point threshold for the first time, Q4’s workplace score was well above the Q3 score of 37.2 and the highest recorded in 2024.

The SHRM Civility Index, launched in May, is a quarterly pulse survey designed to gauge the levels of civility and incivility in the workplace and in society. Scores are calculated on a 100-point scale, with 0 being that incivility never occurs and 100 being that incivility almost always occurs.

When U.S. workers were asked if they have personally experienced or witnessed any acts of incivility over the past month, more than three-quarters (76%) indicated that they had, with 21% saying they personally experienced incivility, 40% saying they witnessed incivility, and 15% saying they both personally experienced and witnessed incivility. Of these workers, 13% said they personally experienced or witnessed incivility daily, 48% said weekly, and 39% said monthly.

And just as acts of incivility rose, so did the cost of those acts to employers. In total, U.S. organizations collectively lose a staggering $2,709,093,454 per day in reduced productivity and absenteeism due to incivility, according to the Q4 Civility Index—an average daily increase of nearly $600 million compared to Q3.

Political Differences Fueling Incivility

The data, which was collected just after the U.S. election, is alarming but not surprising considering the contentious political climate, said SHRM Lead Researcher Derrick Scheetz.

“All year, we’ve been anticipating the election would drive the need for attention on workplace civility,” he said. “So, it is no surprise that this round of the Civility Index resulted in our highest scores yet since we just emerged from Election Day where so many divisive topics were front of mind for so many.”

In fact, the Civility Index found, political differences were the No. 1 issue fueling incivility, with 60% of workers who encountered incivility in their everyday lives saying political viewpoint differences were a contributing factor—an increase of 50% since earlier this year. In the workplace, 56% of those who encountered incivility at work said political viewpoint differences were a contributing factor, which is up 51% since earlier this year. And 53% of workers said the 2024 U.S. general election was a contributing factor to the incivility they encountered in their everyday lives in Q4.

In opening remarks at SHRM INCLUSION 2024 in the Denver metro area on Nov. 5—Election Day— SHRM President and Chief Executive Officer Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, cautioned attendees on the threats to civility following the election, citing increased divisiveness and contention over the presidential race.

“We cannot continue to be as divided as we are,” he said. “This is not good for our country. It’s not good for our children. It’s not good for us. We can do better; we must do better.”

Taylor also called on HR to promote workplace civility, telling attendees their effort is vital to such efforts.

“We’re going to need [civility] more than ever,” he said. “You’ve got to cascade the message back to your colleagues. This is going to be HR’s opportunity to make a difference in America. The entire world is watching.”

Looking into 2025

Incivility reached the highest level yet during election season, but it may get even worse in the coming months.

The Civility Index found that 44% of workers believe U.S. residents’ ability to be civil toward one another will get worse or much worse in 2025. When asked what they believe would contribute to worsening conditions, most respondents cited politics as the primary reason they believe people’s ability to be civil with one another will worsen in 2025, including political viewpoint differences, the 2024 U.S. general election results, and topics related to the next U.S. president.

That’s an important finding—and one employers must recognize and consider as the new year approaches, Scheetz said.

“Employers should be aware that many workers are not feeling very optimistic about the state of civility in society and in the workplace heading into 2025,” he said. “Many workers attribute this pessimistic outlook to ongoing political tensions. Simply put, workers expect politics to remain a source of workplace and societal division, underscoring the need for employers to maintain momentum in addressing this issue.”

Workers also agree civility is important for employers to continue addressing: 60% of workers said they feel it is important or very important that their employer make efforts to address civil discourse at work in 2025, according to the Civility Index.

One thing employees are looking for from their employer to address the issue? Better manager and supervisor support.

As in previous quarters, the Civility Index found that U.S. workers who personally experienced or witnessed incivility at work said managers may be creating work environments that breed incivility. Nearly three-quarters of workers (74%) agreed that managers and supervisors could have done more to prevent incivility. Additionally, 68% agreed that managers and supervisors care more about business objectives than how people are treated in their workplace. And 62% of workers said that managers and supervisors have ignored acts of incivility in the workplace.

These statistics signal a deep need for managers to step up and make sure they correct the poor behavior they see rather than ignore it, Scheetz said.

Oftentimes, he said, improvements can be accomplished by managers bringing those involved together, establishing neutral ground rules, and working together to identify the problems and achieve solutions.

“Even though election season is over, employers need to remain diligent in demanding civil, respectful behaviors in the workplace,” Scheetz said.