Anyone in the workforce is aware of the potential damage created by workplace incivility. I have previously written about the high cost of workplace incivility[i] including its link to attrition, depression, and reciprocal behavior. But incivility has an even darker side, as growing animosity towards another person, company, or entity can mark a progression along the pathway to violence. Accordingly, learning to spot the early warning signs can identify danger and avert disaster. Research explains.
Workplace Incivility and Bullying
Kristoffer Holm et al. (2022) examined workplace incivility as a risk factor for bullying and psychological well-being, as well as harm and aggression.[ii] They define incivility as deviant behavior that is low intensity, accompanied by ambiguous intent to harm, and define workplace incivility as subtle forms of “interpersonal mistreatment” including rude behavior such as interrupting, condescending or derogatory comments, refusing to listen, or displaying dismissive body language.
Their study found workplace incivility to be as a precursor to workplace bullying—defined as “harassing, offending, or socially excluding someone repeatedly over time,” where the victim has an inferior position and is systematically targeted through negative social acts. In addition, they note that workplace incivility, if left unaddressed, is a risk factor for increasingly intense and aggressive behavior.
Incivility and Violence: A Question of Intensity
Christine M. Pearson et al. (2001) studied the link between workplace incivility and violence,[iii] a link that has gained prominence over the years and continues to be a serious issue. Their study defined workplace incivility as low intensity antisocial behavior, operationalized as behavior that is insensitive, rude, or disrespectful. They recognized even at that time that there was an increasing academic focus on the link between words and violence, prompted by the recognition that combative speech causes harassment and aggression.
Pearson et al. identified intensity of behavior as one way to distinguish between incivility, aggression, and other types of deviant behavior. They gave examples of swearing at a broken copier or impatiently hovering over the desk of a coworker who is on the phone as less intense as publicly berating or making a threatening comment to a colleague.
Pearson et al. also found that behavioral incivility has the potential to escalate to aggression. They cite the example of a target of incivility who loses face and responds with more intense behavior toward the instigator. This retribution may transcend incivility where the goal of inflicting harm is ambiguous, becoming aggression—where inflicting harm becomes an obvious goal. Some of their study participants recounted incidents where targets perceived uncivil behavior as identity threats, causing them to spiral into a retaliatory progression of increasingly aggressive acts. Pearson et al. note this pattern is consistent with empirical results in the realm of criminology which illustrate how interpersonal violence can escalates from minor mistreatment and rude comments.
Recent research also notes the relevance of intensity in defining and identifying workplace incivility that can lead to violence, and actually describe workplace violence as including incivility. Cooke et al. (2025)[iv] note that workplace violence involves a spectrum of harmful behaviors directed toward employees in the workplace ranging from forms that are less intense such as incivility to more intense such as sexual harassment, bullying, abuse, and assault.
Policies Protect People From Workplace Violence
In order to protect employees, customers, patients, and the public, companies must have workplace violence policies. Implementing policies and procedures that require or encourage reporting of lower level, subtle, less intense behavior will prevent more intense forms of aggression from developing, improving workplace safety for everyone. This type of situational awareness will inspire confidence in management, improve morale, and provide employees a safe, productive place to work.
