Aggressiveness in the workplace costs employees, study finds
Men who displayed aggressive behavior lost almost $8,000 in perceived salary value when compared to their neutral counterparts, in the study.
The way that employees perceive gender in the workplace is changing, according to a new study conducted by Crucial Learning, a learning company with courses in communication, performance and leadership.
The study found that being aggressive in the workplace is not only viewed negatively, but also costs employees money, authority and reputation. Regardless of whether the employee is male or female, aggressive behavior in the workplace comes with substantial repercussions.
The study also pointed to promising signs of equality between the way that men and women are perceived in the workplace.
While a similar survey conducted by Crucial Learning in 2016 found that women who spoke aggressively in the workplace faced more social backlash than men – the 2023 study results found that both male and female survey respondents rated men more negatively for aggressive behavior in the workplace.
Emily Gregory, researcher and coauthor of Crucial Conversations said the study results suggest that “society may be starting to hold men accountable to the same standard we’ve long held women in the workplace when it comes to aggressive behavior.”
In the study, men who displayed aggressive behavior lost almost $8,000 in perceived salary value when compared to their neutral counterparts. Similarly, adjectives used to describe a male employee’s aggressive behavior were much more negative than those used to describe female employees exhibiting aggression.
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The appearance of being in control was also important in the study. Subjects who exhibited less control in the study were rated lower across all measures including competency, status, leadership ability and perceived value.
“You can advocate strongly for your beliefs as long as you’re in control,” says Nancy Smith, researcher and vice president at Crucial Learning. “It’s those men and women who can exhibit passion without aggression who will find more listening ears than those with less civility.”