Lack of civility in U.S. workplaces is costing American businesses an estimated $2.1 billion per day, according to new research released by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The organization sifts through reports of rudeness, terse emails, and snippy interactions, and finds reduced productivity and absenteeism costing companies’ bottom line.
SHRM’s Civility Index research found that U.S. workers collectively experience 208 million “acts of incivility” each day, a figure that rose sharply around the 2024 election season and remains near record highs. (It’s also up from 198 million in the last quarter.) This nonstop stream of disrespect—from subtle slights to overt hostility—translates into costly absenteeism, sagging morale, and lost output.
