Detroit City Wire

Influenced by increasingly fiery rhetoric and actions on the 2024 campaign trail, American workplaces are becoming environments of growing incivility. Reports of polarizing behavior have been increasing significantly.

“This increase is largely due to a very polarizing election year,” said Jim Link, chief human resource officer at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The association comprises human resource professionals with over 340,000 members and has collaborated with Michigan State University and the Michigan State Police.

SHRM’s latest Civility Index, released on August 7 and based on a survey of 1,611 U.S.-based workers in March 2024, revealed that American workers experienced more uncivil acts daily than three months prior. In August, there were more than 201 million acts of incivility per day, up from 171 million in May.

The index measures how often people report experiencing or witnessing uncivil behavior in their workplaces and everyday lives. This issue affects productivity, morale, and absenteeism as U.S. organizations collectively lose more than $1.2 billion per day due to such behavior. Employees may miss work or leave companies due to this turmoil. “If your team is struggling with these issues, it may be time to address a civility problem,” Link advised.

The Detroit Regional Chamber has been promoting workplace civility through awareness and educational programs for its members. “Commit to having conversations that matter,” Sandy K. Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, emphasized about addressing workplace issues.

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is also raising awareness about civility under the leadership of Jim Holcomb, president and CEO. “Some companies have shared that workplace productivity and culture have been negatively impacted when relationships are strained because of the lack of civility,” Holcomb noted.

This year, the Michigan chamber introduced the National Civics Bee to encourage young people to learn about politics and civility's importance. “Civility really is the cornerstone of good public policy,” Holcomb stated.

SEMCOG recently partnered with several organizations at an event in Detroit focused on fostering civility. Amy Malmer from the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition highlighted that regional collaboration relies on civil discourse leading to positive relationships built on trust.

Malmer added that these opportunities for collaboration are essential for achieving important projects and policies that make the region desirable for current residents and those considering relocating there.