Workplace rudeness is common and costly.

• Position: Your Life - Brief Article

Rudeness and bad manners have become alarmingly common in the American workplace, according to research by psychologist Lilia M. Cortina, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, who found that 71% of workers surveyed have been insulted, demeaned, ignored, or otherwise treated discourteously by their coworkers and superiors. Employees who experience uncivil treatment report lower job satisfaction and are more likely to withdraw from their jobs by being tardy repeatedly, taking unnecessary sick days, or simply not working very hard.

"When employees speak up about rudeness from their superiors, they experience both social and professional retaliation," notes Cortina. "When they are silent, they experience a higher level of psychological problems, including depression and anxiety. So there's a real dilemma about how to respond.... This kind of behavior is pervasive. Since we asked about rude treatment in the last five years, the incidence rate is, if anything, an underestimate. Also, we didn't ask about rudeness from the public, delivery people, or others from outside the organization, just from coworkers and superiors."

The researchers found that females were slightly more likely to be targets of incivility than males, with sexually harassing comments often a part of the boorish, ill-mannered treatment women experienced. Moreover, the more powerful people in the organization were responsible for a disproportionate number of the incidents.

Cortina and Vicki Magley of DePaul University, Chicago, Ill., analyzed what happened to employees who either spoke up against rude treatment or chose to keep silent, telling themselves just...