One Rude Employee Can Cost a Business Big Money

In spite of winter's frigid temperatures, it's time for a Spring cleaning. These are challenging times and the domino effect of the economic downturn is hurting every industry. Businesses are laying off record numbers of employees. But are the right employees heading out the doors?

Do you have a certain co-worker who always seems to get away with doing the minimum amount of effort each day while the other employees are working hard? Do you find yourself apologizing to customers because of the way a particular employee handled their service requests?

In their book, "How Full is Your Bucket," Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton write: "It is possible for just one or two people to poison an entire workplace. And managers who have tried moving negative people to other departments to alleviate the problem know that 'location, location, location' doesn't apply to these people; they bring their negativity along with them wherever they go. Negative employees can tear through a workplace like a hurricane racing through a coastal town."

A rude customer service rep greeted me when I called my airline to report that 2,800 miles I had earned on a recent trip had not been credited to my frequent flyer account. She said she could only give me the miles if I provided her with my ticket number. I explained that I no longer had my ticket because the flight attendant at the airport had assured me that the miles had been credited to my account. Her reply? "That's your problem, not mine. You'll just have to call your travel agent and get the ticket numbers. Then you can call back and start over."

The next day I contacted the airline's frequent flyer customer service department. This time, I was greeted by a warm, friendly employee, who proved to be extremely helpful. I happened to mention the negative experience I had with the other rep. She apologized and asked if I knew the rep's name. I said it was Kayla.

At first, my comment was greeted with silence, then, with a sigh she said, "Ah yes. She tends to rub our customers the wrong way. You're not the first person who's complained about her. Everyone else in our department is so nice and we really care about our customers but her attitude makes us all look bad."

When customers and co-workers have attached a negative attitude label to a specific employee, it is time to evaluate that employee's cost to the organization. The cost of a rude employee can be measured in the following ways:

-Cost of losing an angry customer
-Cost of wasting time with re-work caused by the employee's refusal to handle the service properly the first time
-Cost of replacing good employees who leave because they don't want to work with this negative employee
-Cost of negative word-of-mouth advertising
-Cost of time wasted by managers trying to fix the employee's attitude

A rude employee is like a skunk in a field full of cats. She may look like the others but her negative attitude makes her service stink. Not only that, the behaviors of one employee can give customers the impression that the whole department and even the company stinks. Sixty-eight percent of customers leave because of an attitude of indifference by a single employee. Take a look at your field of great employees. Are skunks hiding there? How much damage are they doing to your co-worker and customer relationships? Are they worth it?

Manners In The Workplace

Lack of manners are affecting employee morale, lowering productivity and generally making the workplace a less pleasant environment. This can have major implications when you consider how much time you spend at work. We owe it to our co-workers to treat them with respect and dignity.

Here are a few of the more common occurrences of bad manners in the workplace:

--Self-righteous or rude behavior toward co-workers who smoke. If someone's smoking is bothering you in a shared space such as a lunchroom, be honest and ask them politely to put out their cigarette. If it is the only area where employees are permitted to smoke, you may need to find an alternative place to eat your lunch.

Of course, smokers need to be considerate, too. If you know that your smoking is bothering someone or the smell of smoke on your clothes may be offensive to a co-worker, take steps to do your part in resolving those issues.

--Borrowing pens, staplers, tape and other items from a co-worker's desk without permission is bad manners. Taking items home is theft.

--Hugging, touching, nudging and backslapping are generally considered to be gestures that imply too much familiarity or intimacy. Many people consider them offensive.

--Addressing co-workers as "honey," "doll," "dear," "dude," or "buddy" send a message of condescension because these words are perceived by many as derogatory terms.

Here's what you can do to demonstrate good manners and create a more respectful environment:

--Say "please" and "thank you" frequently.

--Contribute your fair share to housekeeping duties, coffee funds, treats and gifts.

--Be respectful of your co-workers' time and personal space by not interrupting them while they are working.

--Don't discuss topics such as religion, health, politics or personal issues that have the potential for creating tension or making others feel uncomfortable.

--Don't view legitimate co-worker questions as interruptions but rather, view them as opportunities to be helpful and professional.

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Debra J. Schmidt, a.k.a. "The Loyalty Leader"®, helps companies boost their profits by leading them to greater customer, employee and brand loyalty. You can subscribe to Debra's free email newsletter packed with loyalty tips at: www.TheLoyaltyLeader.com

For more ideas on workplace manners, etiquette and building positiveco-worker relationships, check out these special reports:

#3 "Workplace Dynamics: Co-Workers--Cooperation Builds Success"

#7 "Do's and Don'ts of Workplace Communications"#10 "How to Pave Your Road to Success With a Positive Attitude"

#14 "Email Etiquette for Business"

#15 "How to Plan and Facilitate Productive Meetings"

All are available at:http://www.theloyaltyleader.com/special-reports.html