International research: Abusive cyber communications escalate face-to-face exchanges

International research has found that disrespectful, aggressive and/or abusive online communications result in heated face-to-face exchanges.

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Did you know international research has found that negative online behaviours at work, such as cyber incivility and disrespect, cyber aggression, cyberbullying, cyber stalking, eHarassment and cyber abuse can result in escalated face-to-face interactions, including anger, bullying, harassment abuse and physical intimidation?

When I conducted over twenty confidential interviews with Commonwealth and ACT government public servants, I quickly found that one of the major concerns raised by the interviewees was how quickly disrespectful online communications would escalate into cyber-incivility, aggression and abuse. 

What was also concerning was that negative online behaviour and cyber communications had a huge capacity to invade and infect face-to-face interactions and increase the likelihood of more heated face-to-face workplace exchanges.

Have you observed, or suffered this sort of negative online behaviour at work? 

Or perhaps you've seen or experienced heated face-to-face exchanges that have resulted in disrespectful or abusive online communications at work? 

If you have, or if you have any questions about methods on how to effectively deal with these workplace behaviours, contact me to share your story and for techniques in how to interrupt these negative online and offline workplace behaviours.

Flis has a BA SSc and a PhD in organisational social psychology and works with individuals and organisations as a consultant, speaker and trainer. She uses her social science expertise to enhance interactions between organisations and the people who lead and work in them by fostering new insights for diagnosing organisational problems, and build new capabilities and culture.

 You can contact Dr Flis at DrFlisLawrence@gmail.com or LinkedIn or follow her blog, Twitter or Facebook.