Rude workers drive customers away

Rude employee behaviour is a major problem that drives customers away from many businesses, a new US study finds.

Researchers surveyed 244 consumers and found that about one-third said they'd experienced or witnessed insensitive, disrespectful or rude employee behaviour an average of once a month. The consumers said this incivility makes them less likely to return to those businesses.

The study also found that few customers report unpleasant employee behaviour to the workers' supervisors. This can lead to an ongoing cycle of poor worker behaviour that angers and drives away customers, according to the University of Southern California and Georgetown University researchers.

The incidents of rude employee behaviour that study participants reported occurred in many businesses, but particularly in restaurants and retailing.

The best remedy is an apology from both the offending employee and the supervisor, the researchers found. But the preferred solution is creation of training programmes that promote employee civility, they added.

The study was recently published in the Journal of Service Research. - (HealthDay News, October 2011)

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