There is a growing concern in the marketplace that lack of consideration for our fellow workers, and just downright rudeness, is affecting team spirit and productivity. It seems that the pressures increase as our electronic efficiency increases. There is the feeling in a super-efficient organization that to be more direct and action-oriented is the order of the day. Unfortunately, many people take that one step further and become rude and demanding. As a result, considerable discord in the company structure increases.

Christine Pearson, a management professor at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler School of Business, surveyed 775 people. Men and women equally reported that they had been targets of what Pearson described as "rude, insensitive, discourteous behavior" at the office. The people they described as the instigators were, on average, about seven years older than their victim, mostly male, and usually higher up on the corporate totem pole.

In many cases, nothing was intended, but it happened because people got into too much of a hurry. My friend and mentor, Fred Smith, says that we need to remember that in most cases when people are rude and unkind to us, it doesn't mean they want to hurt us or that they're even angry with us. It does, in many cases, mean they're hurting. Quite often, the other person is under a considerable amount of pressure, and perceives his target as a threat to his own job security.

There's a good chance that part of the short-answer syndrome, or downright rudeness, is an indirect spin-off from road rage. Perhaps a traffic jam caused by a wreck or unexpected rainfall or snow, or someone crawling along in the passing lane and stalling traffic behind them got their dander up. Some workers arrive late and are under intense pressure to complete assignments. Consequently, they take a no-nonsense approach, and have little empathy for others who are also tardy or behind in their responsibilities. This is especially true when management changes occur, a takeover threat looms ahead, downsizing happens, budget reductions are announced and so on.

The seriousness of this problem is pointed out in a 2000 Dallas Morning News article that stated new research indicates that "rudeness, in addition to being a distracting irritant to the worker, can affect the company's bottom line by reducing productivity and leading to costly worker turnover," and that "academics and industrial psychologists use a number of terms to describe the phenomenon: workplace incivility, counterproductive behavior, workplace aggression, personality conflict, workplace mistreatment, interpersonal deviance, bullying, mobbing. 'There are so many terms, I'm keeping a running list,' said social psychologist Loraleigh Keashly, an associate professor of urban and labor studies at Wayne State University in Detroit."

Another factor may be that our cultures are being blended more and more, and it's occasionally difficult to understand the speech of others. This slows down the tempo, and in some cases, when words are not understood, we have to ask the other person to repeat himself or herself several times, causing further irritation, and sometimes, anger.

So, what's the solution? Basically, it's to "lighten up," to remember that the entire world is not revolving around what happens on your job today. A pleasant smile and a good attitude make a big difference. Research shows that if everybody read newspaper comic strips before they left home, and listened to some recorded jokes, inspirational tapes or soothing music as they drove, they'd arrive in a better frame of mind. Additionally, as Mama Ziglar said, "Everybody can't be the smartest person in town, but all of us can be courteous and considerate of the other person." A little courtesy, mixed in with a pleasant smile and a cheerful attitude, will diffuse a lot of people with short fuses. Courtesy could help you avoid serious problems, secure your job, and bring a promotion as well.

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