Employees who reported supervisor abuse frequently slowed down their work or purposely made errors, according to research conducted by Wayne Hochwater, professor of management at Florida State University. Thirty-three percent of those who reported abuse confessed to not putting in maximum effort, 29 percent took sick time off even when not ill, and 25 percent took more or longer breaks compared to those not reporting abuse, the study finds. “The data do not allow us to definitively state if abuse leads to these reactions, or if managers are just responding to their subordinates’ less-than-stellar behavior,” Hochwater says, suggesting that “basic civility” and a commitment to active communication may resolve many workplace problems.