Topic:Are Americans becoming ruder in their interactions with one another in the business environment? Explain and document your reasoning using scholarly and peer reviewed journal articles and/or texts.
Student's thread:
It doesn't take an extensive amount of research for a student to realize that there is absolutely a rise in rudeness in the business environment within our society. The best example of this rudeness can be found by revisiting our current President of the United State's campaign in an infamous video where President Donald Trump is seen mocking a physically disabled reporter..
Although the President of the United States' Office is a political office and not necessarily a business position, it is important to note that President Donald Trump was a businessman and not a politician prior to getting elected, and also the general consensus that the American society must apparently accept this type of behavior due to the fact that Donald Trump was elected to be President by the American People.
President Trump said and I quote, "Now, the poor guy - you ought to see the guy: 'Uh, I don't know what I said. I don't remember,'" (Arkin, 2015) meanwhile contorting his arms and body in an apparent imitation of Siege Kovaleski, who suffers from arthrogryposis.
Unfortunately, although everyone undoubtedly would enjoy working in an environment or setting where they are all treated with dignity and respect, this typically not the case anymore, and according to a study conducted "...there is considerable evidence to suggest that the "civil" work environment is the exception rather than the norm " (Crampton, 2008). This claim is supported by a study of actual public administrators wherein it was found that "a survey of 1,100 public sector employees was typical of the conclusions in the published literature on incivility and rudeness (Elias, 2001).
Seventy-one percent of the respondents indicated that they had experienced workplace incivility within the previous five years. One-third of these incidents were caused by supervisors (Elias, 2001). In a similar study, 53 percent of employees lost work time worrying about the incident or future interactions, while 46 percent contemplated changing jobs and reduced their overall commitment to the organization (Azulay, 2007)" (Crampton, 2008).
Although it is unfortunate, the data does not lie and in regards to rudeness we experience in the business environment it is not merely evident when examining the leader of the free world who was elected to office by the people of the United States.
From my personal experience rudeness can be encountered by an unsuspecting customer entering an establishment whether it be McDonalds in order to purchase lunch, or a nearby Rooms To Go in order to by furniture, and amazingly the bias that employees at such business and many more possess based on their beliefs or recognition of stereotypes will even allow them to be uncivil not only to their coworkers, but prospective clients and customers.
References
Arkin, D. (2015, November 26). Donald Trump Criticized After He Appears to Mock Reporter Serge Kovaleski.
Crampton, S. M., & Hodge, J. W. (2008). Rudeness and incivility in the workplace. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, , 41-48.