Fostering a Civil Workplace

Fostering a Civil Workplace: Strategies for Personal and Organizational Success provides research-based solutions to promote a positive work environment. Focusing on internal dynamics, it explores aspects of communication, interpersonal interactions, management techniques, and organizational culture and oversight.

While some work environments are productive and positive, many are not, with employees experiencing incivility, bullying, intimidation, and harassment. Recent developments, such as a shift towards home and hybrid working, can also contribute to this. This book promotes workplace civility in dysfunctional work environments by offering solutions, focusing on playing to personal strengths, which can be utilized by individuals, leaders, and the larger organization. Methods for improvement begin with individual interactions, such as handling a dispute or a difficult co-worker, and extend to online, interdepartmental, and organizational levels, examining ways to improve communication. Suggestions are offered for improving work connections and building empathetic relationships within teams and between departments to foster a civil and productive environment, through sharing, bonding, and encouraging coworkers. A review of positive impacts made possible by effective leadership includes concepts such as trust, authenticity, and adaptability, alongside guidance on navigating conflicts between employees, and an exploration of challenges experienced in middle management. Ideas regarding organizational culture and employer support include promoting active learning, wellness, and training opportunities, with strategies for employee development, and advice on code of conduct policies.

Providing an accessible overview of solutions for workplace incivility to foster a more positive and dynamic workplace for all, this book will appeal to leaders and managers looking to create better workplaces, students of leadership and management, and employees struggling with toxic work situations.