Why Rudeness at Work Is Costing Companies Billions

Businesses in the U.S. are losing an estimated $2 billion a day to rudeness and incivility. Not layoffs, not bad strategy, just people being sour, sarcastic, or careless with each other. Dr. John O'Brien has spent 30 years as a psychologist watching what that does to people, and he's spent the last several turning it into a mission: teaching leaders and teams how to catch it before it wrecks a culture.Guest: Dr. John M. O'Brien is a licensed psychologist, executive coach, and founder of Activate Success, and the author of Rudeness Rehab: Reclaiming Civility in the Workplace and Your Home Space.In this episode:00:40 — Kent's intro and why 1 in 3 promotions fail01:44 — John's path from psychotherapy to workplace civility05:00 — The billion-dollar cost of incivility08:44 — How social media and digital tools fuel workplace rudeness12:54 — Return-to-office mandates and the narcissism research behind them17:57 — The three types of incivility, and the one John worries about most23:19 — What leaders and HR should actually be doing about it31:50 — The BAM framework for staying calm under pressure39:16 — Advice for leaders stepping into a new roleResources mentioned:SHRM's research on the cost of workplace incivility (shrm.org)Dr. Christine Porath's research on civility at work Andrew Huberman's physiological sigh research, Huberman Lab (hubermanlab.com)Adam Grant, Marissa Shandell, and Courtney Elliott's study linking CEO narcissism to return-to-office mandates (fortune.com)Rudeness Rehab: Reclaiming Civility in the Workplace and Your Home Space (rudenessrehab.com)Civility Matters, John's podcast - (https://civilitymatters.buzzsprout.com )Links for today's show:John O'Brien on LinkedInJohn's TEDxTufts Talk: Small Slights, Big ConsequencesActivate SuccessRudeness Rehab (book)Kent Kniebel on LinkedInThe Promoted Leader ToolkitMusic for this podcast comes from a live recording of the song Needle & Thread and is provided with permission by Pert' Near Sandstone. Check them out on pertnearsandstone.com and on all major streaming platforms.Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review wherever you listen, it helps more leaders find the show.