Andrew Rondeau

Andrew is the owner of this website and has been a Leader, Manager, Coach and Consultant for the last twenty-five years.

Be on the Lookout For Desk Rage

By Andrew Rondeau
Published 07/16/2008

According to a recent REUTERS article, workplace violence is on the rise. And to find the reason why, one need look no further than the economy. Job cutbacks, home foreclosures and high food and fuel prices are putting a strain on families all over America. Unfortunately, that strain is not staying in the home. It's traveling to work with many employees.

It’s Going To Get Worse

According to REUTERS, "Anger in the workplace -- employees and employers who are grumpy, insulting, short-tempered or worse -- is shockingly common and likely growing as Americans cope with woes of rising costs, job uncertainty or overwhelming debt, experts say.

Photo courtesy of desi.italy

"It runs the gamut from just rudeness up to pretty extreme abusive behaviors," said Paul Spector, professor of industrial and organizational psychology at the University of South Florida. "The severe cases of fatal violence get a lot of press but in some ways this is more insidious because it affects millions of people."

Nearly half of U.S. workers in America report yelling and verbal abuse on the job, with roughly a quarter saying, it has driven them to tears, research has shown.

”The Work Place Is No Longer Safe”

Other research showed one-sixth of workers reported anger at work has led to property damage, while a tenth reported physical violence and fear their workplace might not be safe.

"It's a total disaster," said Anna Maravelas, author of "How to Reduce Workplace Conflict and Stress." "Rudeness, impatience, people being angry -- we used to do that kind of stuff at home but at work, we were professional. Now it's almost becoming trendy to do it at work.

"It was something we did behind closed doors," she said. "Now people are losing their sense of embarrassment over it."

And Rising Fuel Costs Adds Fuel To The Fire

Contemporary pressures such as rising fuel costs fan the flames, said John Challenger, head of Chicago's Challenger, Gray & Christmas workplace consultants.

"People are coming to work after a long commute, sitting in traffic watching their discretionary income burn up. They're ready for a fight or just really upset," he said.

Stay Calm

If you are the Manager or owner of a company, in today's economic climate it's even more important that you display the proper temperament and leadership in the workplace. Even if you are experiencing personal or financial difficulties at home yourself, you can't afford to let your employees know about it. You have to set a good example. You have to remain, positive strong and diligent always.

You have to continually remain cool, calm and collected. Employees will be watching to see how you conduct yourself in this economic storm.

Watch Yourself

But more importantly, watch your employees. Even if you're able to keep it together, they're still susceptible to going off at anytime. And before you know what hit you, you can find yourself in an explosive, volatile workplace situation.

So What Should You Do?

I suggest:

You be proactive and practice preventative maintenance

Conduct weekly pep talks

Encourage employees to talk to you if they are feeling angry, frustrated or depressed

Let them know you care about them, and are there to help them, and anything they tell you will be held in the strictest of confidence

Communication Is Key!

And if an employee does comes to you with a problem, depending on how serious the problem is you may need to advise the employee to seek counseling. Your company may offer such a service so check it out now.