Workplace Civility,

Burnout, and Work

Engagement MICHAEL P. LEITER, PHD

PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, DEAKIN UNIVERSITY

The Current Crisis

Respect Matters

Patchy Landscape of Respect

Most Get Along Well

But Enough Don’t

Needed: Evidence-Based Methods for Improving Civility

Engagement with Work

Energy

Involvement

Efficacy

Burnout and Neighboring Profiles

• Unmanageable Demands

• Inadequate RecoveryExhaustion

• Value Conflicts

• Disrespect

• Emotional DistanceCynicism

• Lack of Recognition

• Impossible Standards

• Lack of ControlInefficacy Ineffective

Over-

Extended

Disengaged

Burnout

Engaged

36%

Ineffective

31%

Overextended

11%

Disengaged

15%

Burnout

7%

PROFILES

What Profile Is a Big Problem at

Your Organisation?1 ENGAGED

2 INEFFECTIVE

3 OVEREXTENDED

4 DISENGAGED

5 BURNED OUT

Negative Social Encounters

Inte

nsi

ty

Intention

Abuse

Incivility

Annoying

Bullying

+ Power

Connection with Mental Health

Supervisor Coworkers

Action

Individual

Discipline

Therapy

Training

Workgroup

Shared Insight

Practice New Behaviour

Put Into Practice

Social Dynamics: Complementarity

DominateAlign

Distance

Depart

Submit

Social Dynamics: Reciprocity

ReceivedInstigatedCivility r=.54

Incivility r=.40

Social Dynamics: Spirals

Received

Instigated

Escalated

Response

What Presents the Bigger

Challenge in Your Organisation?1 DIFFICULT INDIVIDUALS

2 DYSFUNCTIONAL WORKGROUPS

Social Encounters and Profiles

-0.60

-0.40

-0.20

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

Engaged Ineffective Overextended Disengaged Burned Out

Std

Diffe

ren

ce

fro

m M

ea

n

Sup Pos

CWK Pos

Self Pos

Sup Rude

CWK Rude

Self Rude

SCORE:

Strengthening a Culture of Respect

and EngagementSTRUCTURE AND PROCESS

Workgroup Focus

CREW SCOREUp

Outward

Down

1. Acknowledging Respect

5 Sessions

90 Minutes

2-4 Weeks Apart

SCORE Sessions

SCORE Process

Establishing Psychological Safety

Sharing Insight

Practicing New Behaviour

Intuitively

Inconsiderate

Rational Problem Solving

Intuitively

Considerate

Pilot Research: Western HealthMAKING A DIFFERENCE

Method

N

Participants Control SCORE

Before 68 48

After 44 39

Social Contact Scale (Leiter 2018)

Maslach Burnout Inventory GS

Exhaustion

Cynicism

Inefficacy

Mental Health Index—5

Western Health, Melbourne

Peoplescape Facilitators

Design: Waiting List Control

Improving the Positive

-0.60

-0.40

-0.20

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

Before After

Std

Diffe

ren

ce

fro

m A

ve

rag

e

Supervisor Civility

Control SCORE

-0.80

-0.60

-0.40

-0.20

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

Before After

Std

Diffe

ren

ce

fro

m A

ve

rag

e

Coworker Civility

Control SCORE

Reducing the Negative

-0.60

-0.40

-0.20

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

Before After

Std

Diffe

ren

ce

fro

m A

ve

rag

e

Supervisor Incivility

Control SCORE

-0.60

-0.40

-0.20

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

Before After

Std

Diffe

ren

ce

fro

m A

ve

rag

e

Coworker Incivility

Control SCORE

Reducing Bullying

-0.60

-0.40

-0.20

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

Before After

Std

Diffe

ren

ce

fro

m A

ve

rag

e

Supervisor Bullying

Control SCORE

-0.60

-0.40

-0.20

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

Before After

Std

Diffe

ren

ce

fro

m A

ve

rag

e

Coworker Bullying

Control SCORE

Improving Wellbeing

-0.80

-0.60

-0.40

-0.20

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

Before After

Std

Diffe

ren

ce

fro

m A

ve

rag

e

Mental Health Index

Control SCORE

-0.30

-0.20

-0.10

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

Before After

Std

Diffe

ren

ce

fro

m A

ve

rag

e

Cynicism

Control SCORE

SCORE Outcomes

Participating in SCORE

Sessions and Activities

•Role Plays

•Conversations

•Problem-Solving Sessions

•Putting into Practice

Immediate Impact

•Expressing Civility More Often

•Receiving Civility More Often

Downstream Impact

•Reduced Burnout

•Increased Engagement

•Fulfillment

Sustaining Gains

Monitoring

Count What Matters

Share Results

Take Action

Salience

Keep Civility on the Agenda

Policies

Respond to Breaches

Encourage the Positive

Conclusion

Civility Matters

Health and Wellbeing

Productivity

SCORE Targets Relationships

Incivility & Civility Occur Between People

Middle-Out Intervention

Start with the Workgroup

Radiate Upwards, Downwards, & Outwards

Shared Learning Shapes Workgroup Culture