Do Unto Employees as You Would Have Done Unto Customers

A study released earlier this month by the nonprofit group Public Agenda calls America "the land of the rude" and suggests that we are simply meaner and more hostile to each other today than ever before. That seeps right into the workplace, according to Steve Albrecht, a San Diego workplace violence expert and president of the Baron Center, a human resources consulting firm.

The Public Agenda study found that nearly half of the 2,000 people it surveyed reported walking out of a business establishment at some point within the past year because of a rude employee. "Too many service firms hire customer service employees who are literally no good with people," says Albrecht, the author of "Service, Service, Service!" adding that, "Their personalities don't match their job duties."

"You see some companies that have a reputation for having great customer service, but the people who work there will tell you it's not such a good place to work," he says. "But rarely do you find a company that treats its employees well that doesn't also have great external relationships, too."

Moderator Comment: Is there a direct connection between how associates view their treatment by management and how they interact with customers? [George Anderson - Moderator]

• Let's All Work Toward Civility in Workplace - The San Diego Union-Tribune