Respect in the workplace: an evaluation of a short online intervention program
Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance
ISSN: 2051-6614
Article publication date: 5 December 2016
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of a short, online training program focused on respect in the workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a wait-list control design the authors collected measures of workplace behaviors prior to, immediately following and six weeks following the training from a sample of long-term care employees.
Findings
The training was associated with a small increase in reported civility. Post hoc subsample analyses suggested that the training was particularly effective in increasing civility and efficacy perceptions among those respondents who had themselves reported engaging in incivility.
Practical implications
The data offer support for the effectiveness of the training but suggest that more intensive interventions may be necessary. Results also suggest that the effects of training may vary across subgroups of employees.
Originality/value
Training is one of the most frequently advocated solutions to incivility in the workplace. The findings offer support for a short, online training program.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was conducted as part of the MSc thesis of the first author under the supervision of the second author. The authors thank Drs Mark Fleming, Lori Francis, and Catherine Loughlin for their comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. The financial support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada is also gratefully acknowledged.
Citation
Lee Smith, S. and Kelloway, E.K. (2016), "Respect in the workplace: an evaluation of a short online intervention program", Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, Vol. 3 No. 4, pp. 395-410. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-02-2016-0008
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited