Appeared on April 18, 2009
Management Professor and Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives Donna DeCarolis, Ph.D., discussed how rude employees and bad behavior affect small businesses for her business commentary. Information from a recent study of managers and employees across industries suggests that behavior is costly to the firm as a whole. Employees who are victims of toxic behavior reported a decrease in commitment to the company and performance since they spend time worrying about co-worker's behavior. “Managers should not tolerate or ignore rude behavior. Appropriate social behavior should be part of performance evaluations. Offenders should be warned and reprimanded and if all else fails dismissed."