Peggy M. Parks, AICI CIP, CPBS

Ambassador of Corporate Civility

The Parks Image Group

Business Etiquette and Corporate Civility Experts
serving company, leadership and staff
Peggy M. Parks, AICI CIP, CPBS
Contact The Parks Image Group today and let us help you:
  • build corporate credibility and staff confidence; and
  • ensure that your employees at every level of the company represent your corporate brand and message, both internally and when they interact with the public.

Civility in the Workplace

Civility training is proven to have a positive effect on the bottom line. Empower your sales and service employees with knowledge that makes them effective representatives of your brand.

Civility Counts
Civility is a code of conduct based on three principles:
Respect | Restraint | Responsibility*
*According to P.M. Forni, co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project.
Why is Civility Important in Today's World?
  • Civility is vital to the peaceful, harmonious and cohesive existence of individuals, groups and organizations
  • Without civility, there would be chaos
  • Civility holds moral implications and holds us back from operating on the “an eye for an eye” kind of reactionary, retaliatory behavior

(“Civility is the sum of the many sacrifices we are called to make for the sake of living together” according to Stephen L. Carter, author of Civility: Manners, Morals, and the Etiquette of Democracy)

What Would Civility Look Like in Your Work Environment?
  • Co-workers would have a cooperative approach
  • They would recognize individual differences
  • Teams would be aware of underlying needs and be more open to adapting their opinions for the greater good
Incivility in the Workplace Will Cost You.

What does incivility in the workplace do?

  • It erodes individual self-esteem and confidence
  • It creates a feeling of distrust in all kinds of relationships
  • It can translate into lackluster work performance and even lost time from work

What does incivility do to the individual?

  • 48% intentionally decreased work effort
  • 66% respondents said their personal performance declined
  • 78% said their commitment to the organization declined

What does incivility cost the company?

  • Negative responses from customers/clients
  • Lost work time and productivity
  • Lost employees/high turnover
  • Work avoidance
  • Decreased feelings of cooperation and teamwork
  • Health costs due to stress
  • Legal costs due to litigation

Source: The Cost of Bad Behavior: How Incivility Is Damaging Your Business and What to Do About It, by Christine Pearson and Christine Porath

Further, civility is defined by Civility Experts’ President, Lew Bayer as

  • A self-awareness of the effect one’s thoughts, actions, and words have on others; combined with,
  • A continuous consciousness of one’s ability to ease the experience of others (e.g., through restrain, responsibility, kindness, non-judgment, respect, and courtesy); and
  • A consistent effort to adopt and exhibit civil behavior as a non-negotiable point of one’s character.

Peggy M. Parks leads customized interactive workshops for leadership and/or staff that will empower them to practice civility and reap the benefits for themselves and the company.

Contact Peggy and ask her how you can bring civility to your workplace. Click here to email Peggy or call her at 404 266-3858.