ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As “No Tolerance” policies become widespread in schools, new research reveals it is time to do the same in the workplace. With 57 percent of companies lacking a zero-tolerance “office bully” policy – and more than half (55 percent) of workers admitting to having been bullied – it’s clear bullying and “jerk-like” behavior extend far beyond adolescence. A recent independent study commissioned by Connectria Hosting (www.connectria.com), exposes interesting findings about behavior and attitudes in the workplace – and the impact it has on productivity, quality and morale. An infographic presenting the findings can be found here.
In addition to the research, the company (also the leader of the No Jerks Allowed® movement), announced the launch of a website dedicated to the movement: www.nojerksallowed.com. With videos, blog posts, content and anecdotes, the site will serve as a resource for other companies and leaders looking to join the movement as well as those looking to share their own stories.
The “Jerk” Landscape
The findings reveal a grim reality for today’s professionals: 83 percent claim to have worked with a jerk within the last five years. A deeper look unveils just what kind of personality most are up against:
1. The “Know-it-all”: Nearly 30 percent say this is the most common jerk “personality” they have come in contact with
2. The “Bully”: 26 percent
3. The “Complainer”: 21 percent
4. The “Brownnoser”: 16 percent
5. The “Office Gossip”: 4 percent
According to the findings, some professionals don’t have to look very far – 1 out of 5 admit to having been an office jerk themselves. Although, when looking into their own behavior, the top personalities reported are “Know-it-all” (48 percent) and “Complainer” (34 percent).
The Impact of Working with Jerks
The consequences of working with jerks can have a significant impact on an organization. The findings reveal that a department is impacted in the following ways:
- Low employee morale: 59 percent
- Employees take on a “lone wolf” mentality and prefer to work alone: 42 percent
- Decreased product quality: 40 percent
- Inability to get work done: 34 percent
Finding Job Satisfaction
For companies looking to cultivate a satisfied workforce, the research reveals that providing an environment that supports positive relationships among colleagues leads to the highest job satisfaction (43 percent) followed by office locations (27 percent), the culture (15 percent) and investment in employees (11 percent).
Root canal vs. Office Jerk?
Nearly half (48 percent) of professionals would rather sit in a middle seat on an international flight than work with a jerk, followed by a root canal (20 percent) and taking a “lower” position in another department (20 percent).
The Return of the Water Cooler
Remember the days of catching up around the water cooler? While the water cooler may have evolved, the significance of a social work environment remains. Sixty eight percent of respondents claim to work in a “water cooler culture” where employees socialize, talk about current events and share weekend activities. In today’s businesses, however, the water cooler has been replaced:
- 77 percent report the socializing takes place at people’s desks
- 40 percent around the coffee maker
- 27 percent in the conference room
- 23 percent outside the office (e.g., at a bar, restaurant, etc.)
- 14 percent around the actual water cooler
“The research shows what we’ve known all along – working with jerks not only impacts employees, but can have a negative effect on the overall business,” said Rich Waidmann, President and CEO of Connectria Hosting. “Taking a stance against bad behavior, like bullying, can lead to improved employee morale and increased job satisfaction. We challenge every company to join the ‘No Jerks Allowed®’ movement and commit to ridding the workplace of jerks.”
Committed to creating a jerk-free environment for both customers and employees, Connectria instilled a “No Jerks Allowed®” company culture in 1996. As ‘The Jerk-Free Company,’ Connectria has created a unique work environment where every individual goes ‘the extra mile’ to take care of colleagues, customers and employees.
To access the infographic, please visit “Beyond the Schoolyard.”
To join the “No Jerks Allowed®” movement, please visit www.nojerksallowed.com.
About Connectria Hosting®
Connectria Hosting provides award-winning cloud computing, managed hosting and custom managed hosting solutions for more than 1,000 customers in over 30 countries worldwide. We are experts in complex multi-vendor solutions, and we support the broadest range of technologies, managed services and security in the industry. At the core of Connectria is our No Jerks Allowed® company philosophy. As The Jerk Free Company®, we’ve established a unique culture where every individual goes “the extra mile” to take care of our customers. Being The Jerk Free Company extends beyond our people too. We make it easy to do business with us through flexible terms, scalable solutions and straight-forward pricing to serve the hosting needs of large and small organizations alike.
