SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Incivil acts at workplace such as sarcastic comments, rudeness or demeaning language will adversely affect the sleep of not only an employee but also his or her spouse, a new study from Portland State University (PSU) in the U.S. state of Oregon shows.
The study, conducted by researchers from PSU and University of Illinois, examined the relationship between workplace incivility and employee sleep conditions in the context of dual-earner couples.
It found that when an employee was exposed to stressful work event such as his colleague's rudeness, unfriendly satirical remarks or interrupting in conversations, he would report insomnia symptoms including troubles in falling asleep or waking up in the middle of the night.
The dismal sentiment of the employee could also be passed to his spouse working in the same company or occupation, said the study published recently in the journal Occupational Health Science.
An employee who was hurt by incivilities at workplace tended to have his work on his mind even after he went back home, resulting in difficulty in having good sleep at night, said Charlotte Fritz, lead author of the study and associate professor of industrial and organizational psychology at PSU.
Fritz said work-linked couples who have a better idea of what's going on in each other's work can help each other out of such an awkward situation.
"They probably know more about the context of the incivil act and might be more pulled into the venting or problem-solving process," she said.
Fritz noted that people who experienced workplace incivilities are advised to follow such strategies as spending more time with families or friends and enjoying their favorite hobbies, so as to make themselves more mentally detached from work during non-work hours.
Practicing meditation at home or work could also be a good way to keep employees from being affected incivilities from their co-workers, Fritz said.
She urged organizations to create a better workplace culture of civility and put in place zero-tolerance policies against behaviors or remarks that poison the harmonious atmosphere at workplace.
