Rude behavior at work — criticizing, sarcasm and other condescending comments — tend to have a contagious effect, according to a new study. Rude behaviors are less serious than overtly hostile behaviors, such as bullying, harassment and threats, but this is also more common in the workplace and has a significant effect on employees, the study found.
Three times a day for 10 consecutive working days, the employees answered the questions and completed performance-based tasks so that the researchers could investigate how and why acts of rudeness are contagious in corporate organizations.
The researchers found that people who experienced rude behavior had increased mental fatigue, which reduced employee self-control, and led them to act in a similar, rude manner later in the day. These "rude spirals" were unintentional and mainly occurred in the workplace that has been described as "political", as an environment in which employees do what is best for them and not what is best for the organization.
