Handling Workplace Incivility In Virtual Channels

Whether employees work in the office or remotely, most communications take place via email, Slack, Zoom, Teams, and similar virtual collaborative programs. However, uncivil behavior is increasingly permeating online communications and seems to occur more frequently than in person, leading to a toxic workplace atmosphere.

Increased virtual hostility stems from online disinhibition, a phenomenon in which people feel more comfortable being impolite and harsh using asynchronous, anonymous communications than in-person, real-time settings. Furthermore, the inability to temper the effects of or explain a rude comment with facial expressions, body language, or other social cues is absent online, so the comment comes across as worse via email. As a result, the recipient of the rude email is more likely to overreact and overinterpret the sender's tone.