President & CEO, SHRM, F500 Board Director
Work is taking a toll on employees' health. I'm not referring to the workload here. It's the workplace culture. The SHRM data is clear: 94% of workers say civility is essential to their mental health. So when incivility shows up, the mental and emotional impact is immediate and measurable. Here’s what's happening: 🚨 50% feel stressed. 🚨 37% feel burned out.. 🚨 28% struggle to concentrate. This is a crisis for employees and employers. Because when mental health suffers, performance, retention, and productivity suffer too. In Q2 2025, U.S. organizations lost an estimated $2 billion a day in productivity and absenteeism due to incivility. Each uncivil act costs workers an average of 37 minutes in lost focus. And when employees feel unsupported by their manager after an incident, they’re nearly 48% more likely to be looking for another job compared to those who receive strong support. So let's stop tiptoeing. If you manage people, you shape culture. If you lead a team, you set the tone. Civility is about creating the conditions where people can think, contribute, and stay well. This is NOT optional. This is the job. #SHRM #WorkplaceCulture #MentalHealth #Leadership #CivilityAtWork
David Torosyan
1mo
Well put, Johnny C.
Thanks for sharing, Johnny C.
Kanchan Sharma
1mo
Totally relate to this. Most of the time, it’s not the deadlines or tasks that drain you; it’s the environment. A little respect and empathy go a long way, yet they are still often overlooked.
Thanks for sharing, Johnny C. I applaud you and others who bring this topic to the forefront. I only wish that more organizations would consider the true ramifications of an uncivil workplace.
Cate M.
1mo
I left my last 2 jobs due to the incivility of my coworkers and my managers lack of response to the issue. Thank you for giving me the terminology to use when explaining why I left these roles.
Workplace culture speaks louder than any campaign or policy. Civility shapes experience, and experience shapes results. If we want people to thrive, we must build environments that reflect empathy, clarity, and respect.
Daria Dvornikova
1mo
The data reflects what many of us already see on the ground. People are not disengaging because they’re unmotivated. They’re withdrawing because the emotional cost of staying engaged has become unsustainable. Civility in the workplace isn't about being nice. It’s about psychological availability — the ability to focus, respond, and collaborate without bracing for harm. When that sense of safety erodes, performance doesn’t just dip. It becomes fragmented, inconsistent, and cautious. Over time, even your most capable people start working defensively. In my work, I’ve seen how culture often degrades not through major events but through the accumulation of minor dismissals, reactive moments, or silent tolerance of poor behavior. These things rarely make headlines. But they do shape whether people feel able to contribute with clarity and care. If we want sustainable teams, civility can’t be framed as an extra. It’s structural. It affects how decisions are made, how feedback is received, and how trust is either reinforced or diminished with every interaction.
Kari Taylor
1mo
Such an important topic, Johnny! Workplace culture truly shapes not just productivity but also the well-being of employees. Civility should never be overlooked; as leaders, we have a responsibility to ensure a respectful and supportive environment for all our team members. It's a call to action we all need, especially when the costs are so high. Thanks for sharing these eye-opening stats.
State Dental Director at New York State Department of Health
1moHelpful insight, Johnny C.