If a person has no vested interest, and if you believe you won't be with these people too long, you don't care what they think. The researchers say workplace hostilities mirror incidents of social incivility, such as road rage and deadly duels over parking spaces. Problems can flare at work because of corporate downsizings that cause workers to battle one another to survive job cuts and because of the demands created by the new forms of instantaneous electronic communication. They are very gruff. People in a power position can have a certain amount of arrogance, and the civilities of life are thrown right out the window.
Some experts attribute the problem, on occasion, to interpersonal conflict.
Behavior that one person may perceive as cold, brusque or rude, another may view as a no-nonsense, competent or efficient manner. Workers of different cultures or backgrounds may react very differently to the same behavior. Thus, as the workplace becomes more diverse, the potential for misunderstandings or unintended offenses may multiply. The issue is attracting growing attention overseas as well. The problem can hurt productivity, according to a survey released last month by the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler School of Business.