Insecurity, uncertainty and growing pressure on individuals is bringing tension to the boil in Britain's workplaces, according to new research by Roffey Park.
This "pressure-cooker problem" is increasingly manifesting itself in escalating workloads, increases in workplace conflict, bullying and job insecurity and the growing use of office politics. Nearly one in five managers (18 per cent) say that they have personally experienced harassment or verbal bullying at work. Nearly one in ten (9 per cent) claim to have experienced physical attacks. Twelve per cent claim that sexual harassment occurs in their work environment.
Have you experienced work rage - as a victim or perpetrator? Let us know your experiences.
I have a friend who lost all respect for her boss when he lost his temper and shouted at her. Previously motivated, she found a new job within a couple of months. It's clear that companies who want to attract and retain the best staff need to look after them. Corporate social responsibility policies and initiatives are one way of doing this.
In a previous job, a senior manager - ex military and built like a tank - had to be physically restrained from attacking the (5ft 2 female) head of another department who he felt was obstructing his 'grand vision'. She was left - literally - shaking with fear. This guy was notorious for loosing his rag, but the organisation devoted most of its energy to persuading her not to make an issue of it. It was only after this episode that it was suggested that he went on an anger management course.
This means that people will be less likely to leave jobs that they are unhappy in. And if you're there because you have to be - it's not a great motivational tool and will inevitably lead to further misery.
Loyalty and moral support to co workers is bound to suffer if people are concerned about their jobs.
I work for 4 psychiatrists. Four months ago we employed a new secretary to work with me, in a shared role. It was immediately apparent, she wasn't the full quid. Made false outrageous accusations,refused to learn, refused to do 70% of the work, took up to 8 breaks a day, joined in tai chi classes for the inpatients during work hours and generally made a right old mess of office procedures. The doctors all knew because their work wasn't getting done. I made several complaints, no action. It ended with this woman standing over me, hemming me in at my desk, fists clenched, a truly scary expression of rage on her face, body rigid and ended with her accusing me of stealing.......something? Again,no action. When she discovered I had made a complaint, she made a counter complaint, called in the Union and I, now stand accused. Of course, I will resign after this, but cannot believe, that management allowed this to go on. They will now, be left with no staff and nobody to train new staff, in a medical practice that in fact, needs 3 not 2 staff to manage it properly. What motivates management to do this? Cheers Kathy
Our HR manager is Totally crazy !!! she keeps on tracking me & what i do thought she is not my manager last time i had to leave work early caz my hubby is having an opration she went to my manager asking why am leaving early !!! last time she thought am leaving early she said u know works end @ 5.30 !!!! she is excellent with the managers she like an angel with them but with us she is the Devil , the funny thing that she used to be a PA & she used to complain when her manager was bad with her now she is worse that him , beside that she is racist , she doing her best to kick a muslim girl from our company caz she is a muslim !!! she trying to find any mistake on that poor girl so that she can report her !!!
almost 8 yrs on my job and I am constantly getting blamed for what my bosses do wrong, and I have been denied raises, and new jobs due to bullying in which I had a bad performance review and they keep on 'knocking me' even when I came in to work on a weekend they said I was not working, but surfing the internet.
My former boss owns a small badly failing screen printing business and refuses to close the doors even after rolling $40,000 of business debt into his high 10% mortgage. In the last year that I worked for him, all he wanted to do was bait me into fighting with him. He is the type of person that delights in antagizing and belittling people and then pretends to be the victim when people get fed up with his crap. I had witnessed this behavior inflicted on others including his family and girlfriends, over and over in the 5 1/2 years that I worked there, but I wanted to believe I was special and he wouldn't play the game with me. What dumb blond I was! I finally got fed up with clenching my teeth with the baiting games and lost my temper after his latest belittling me in front of a customer. I used a lot of profanity in telling him that I was not a f.... hard drive that recalled trival information for infrequent customers phone numbers...that he didn't even know what the f...was going on in his own business because he was always down at his sister's bar. After I quit, he didn't waste any time telling who ever would walk in or call on the phone that I supposedly called him every name in the book, which was a pack of lies. I never called him a single profane name. I sent my husband in the next day to get my check, because I was afraid my boss would screw me out of it. I decribed my boss's baiting game tactics to my husband to prepare him for the encounter and warned him not to get baited into a fight. As expected, my boss launched into his games and my husband held his anger. At one point, the boss started raising his voice and my husband reacted with a calm one, not escalating the encounter like my boss wanted. The boss preceded to tell my husband a pack of lies and the real reason I was supposedly angry was that I listened to too much conservative talk radio! and I was a terrible employee, because I hadn't worked a 40 hour week all year, NEVER MIND THAT HIS BUSINESS IS IN THE DUMPSTER AND THE WORK WASN'T THERE! I guess I should have just stood around and milked the clock. It took everything my husband had not to punch this loser in the face, which of course, is what my boss wanted. In hind sight, I was foolish to work there 5 1/2 years, I had only 1 raise and the only reason I got that was that I threatened to quit at the time. No sick days, no bereavement days, and one week of vacation. I should have run for the door when I saw creditors and the landlord screaming for over due payments, especially the Divsion of Employment....he wasn't paying payroll taxes. I am feeling a lot better, a lot of stress relieved, but still ocassionally have to tell this story which is an all too similar experience with his other former employees. You know something is very wrong when a guy claims everyone in the world has f.....him over and in his twisted little world he is never at fault. Unbelievable. His alcohol and drug abuse didn't help matters either. That's life in Valley Park, Missouri USA