How Return-to-Office Mandates Are Affecting Workplace Civility

Return-to-office (RTO) mandates are gaining steam, but new SHRM data found a side effect to the strategy: Workers whose employers enacted a return-to-office mandate were significantly more likely to report encountering uncivil acts in their workplace.  

Employees at companies with an RTO mandate reported committing 63% more acts of workplace incivility, compared to those at companies without RTO mandates, according to the SHRM Q1 2025 Civility Index, released March 18. Additionally, workers whose employers announced an RTO plan in the past year reported encountering an average of 0.9 acts of incivility per day in the workplace — more than twice the average amount reported by workers whose organizations had not announced an RTO plan (0.36 per day).

That correlation is likely due to the fact that workers who are returning to the office are experiencing a significant transition in their daily routines, which naturally brings stress, explained SHRM Lead Researcher Derrick Scheetz.

“While they navigate this change together, these workers are also being exposed to more in-person interactions that will bring more encounters with and opportunities to act uncivil than virtual settings often offer,” he said, adding that even though the results are not all that surprising, it will be interesting to observe how behaviors evolve over time.  

Future research “will help determine whether these behaviors are a temporary byproduct of the transition back to the workplace or an inherent aspect of in-person work dynamics,” Scheetz said.

According to SHRM data, 20% of U.S. workers said their employer announced a plan to return to the office in the past year, meaning employees are now required to work onsite or in person more frequently.  

The difference doesn’t just reflect shifting routines, Scheetz said, it also “indicates deeper challenges in how employees interact and relate with one another under changing circumstances.”

It’s an important finding that employers would be wise to think about. They should consider how to better support employees during an RTO transition. Incivility left unaddressed can erode trust, collaboration, and morale across teams, he said.  

“Employers must recognize that stress during this period is natural and stems from both logistical adjustments and social dynamics of more in-person interactions,” Scheetz said. “By fostering open communication and exemplifying civility at every level, employers can demonstrate their commitment to supporting employees during this collective transition.”

Incivility Still Plaguing Workplaces

In general, SHRM’s latest Civility Index — a quarterly pulse survey designed to gauge the levels of incivility in the workplace and in society — found that incivility continues to be a problem for workers and employers, although it has slightly decreased since hitting an all-time high in the fourth quarter of 2024 in the midst of the U.S. presidential election.

On average, when U.S. workers were asked about incivility they personally experienced or witnessed in their everyday lives — both in and out of work — over the past month, they scored a 48.8 out of 100, according to the SHRM Q1 2025 Civility Index, which surveyed 1,587 U.S. workers between Jan. 22 and Jan. 30. Civility Index scores are calculated on a 100-point scale, with 0 being that incivility never occurs and 100 being that incivility almost always occurs. The most recent score dipped from the Q4 2024 peak of 49.7, but it is still the second highest on record. 

Meanwhile, the workplace-level civility score was better than the societal one: When workers were asked about incivility they personally experienced or witnessed while at work over the past month, they scored an average of 38.8. That also was lower than the Q4 2024 score of 40.9.

The scores, SHRM researchers note, spotlight the ongoing importance of employers taking action to prevent incivility from escalating to more damaging levels.

Political Differences

Political differences continue to fuel acts of incivility, the Civility Index found, though there has been slight progress since last quarter. 

“Incivility appeared to peak right around and immediately following the election, but it is still too early to determine what this means for the rest of the year,” Scheetz said. “Now that the election is behind us, it will be interesting to see if this contributing reason — and the rate of incivility itself — cools off the further into the year we go.”

Political differences are still the top factor in incivility in the workplace, according to the Civility Index, followed by differences in opinions on topics related to social issues, racial or ethnic differences, the presidential inauguration, and age or generational differences. Nearly 4 in 10 respondents (38%) identified President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2025 as a contributing factor to incivility.

“Political differences are creating real tension in the workplace,” said Keith Spencer, career expert at Resume Now, a resume builder. “When conversations about politics become heated, it puts pressure on relationships and teamwork.”

Recent data from Resume Now found that 51% of workers actively avoid colleagues with opposing views.  

“That kind of divide makes it harder for teams to communicate, collaborate, and trust each other,” Spencer said. “It’s tough to maintain a productive work environment when people feel like they have to walk on eggshells around their co-workers.”

SHRM research found that nearly three-quarters of workers (71%) think that their manager or supervisor could have done more to prevent incivility.  

“Leaders have a real opportunity to set the tone here,” Spencer said. “Political conversations are happening whether companies want them to or not. That doesn’t mean shutting down conversations — it’s about creating a framework where people feel comfortable expressing themselves without crossing professional boundaries. Offering conflict resolution training, setting expectations around respectful dialogue, and ensuring decisions aren’t influenced by political bias can go a long way in keeping the workplace focused and collaborative.”

Addressing incivility is in employers’ best interest: SHRM found that incivility continues to cost employers big time — to the tune of $2,131,818,410 per day in reduced productivity and absenteeism, according to the SHRM Q1 2025 Civility Index.