Desk rage is on the rise, with increased workplace stress over layoffs, greater workloads, increased productivity demands and longer hours, to name but a few. But, as Laura Stack writes, HR professionals can take a number of steps to release the pressure valve on desk rage in the workplace
Desk rage is on the rise, with increased workplace stress over layoffs, greater workloads, increased productivity demands and longer hours, to name but a few. But, as Laura Stack writes, HR professionals can take a number of steps to release the pressure valve on desk rage in the workplace
A US newspaper recently printed a story about a man who got upset at his washing machine, dragged it out the front door and unloaded his shotgun into it. He was subsequently hauled away by police. Reporting on the incident the following day, a reporter described the man’s action as “appliance rage”.
Appliance rage, road rage, air rage… yes, ‘rage’is all the rage. Now add this new workplace buzzword to your vernacular: desk rage. Far from funny, desk rage is a real issue with serious implications for today’s managers and HR professionals. Stressed-out employees are losing their cool, displaying anger and having temper tantrums at work. Desk rage often takes the form of rudeness, yelling, verbal abuse, attacks on office equipment and even fistfights with co-workers.
What is desk rage?
Workplace violence that culminates in bloodshed garners a lot of publicity. Far more common, however, are the shouting matches and fistfights that don’t make the evening news.
“So desk rage is really workplace violence,” a manager once observed. Actually, that’s where a distinction is drawn. Certainly, extreme desk rage can be a precursor to violence. Managers must enforce a zero-tolerance policy, which prohibits threats of violence or acts of bodily harm. Realise, however, that not everyone who gets angry at work is a raging psychopath who intends to blow up the company.
Desk rage is seen as resulting from ‘normal’stress. Some people are just pushed too far or haven’t been taught productive outlets for stress. Think of desk rage as ‘stress on steroids’.
Causes and results of desk rage
Employees have always encountered workplace stress, but several economic and social trends have either intensified or heightened worker sensitivity to it – war, a bad economy, layoffs, greater workloads, increased productivity demands and longer hours. Mix that with smaller, cramped workspaces that make employees feel restless and disorganised. Add a dash of technology to increase customer expectations, shorter response time requirements and office clutter. Beat out interpersonal communication. Blend with shifting responsibilities and work that’s never complete, reducing time spent off work. Add a fluid, diverse, multi-generational workforce with different work process methods, and you’ve got a recipe for extreme stress.
According to a recent workplace survey by CIGNA Behavioural Health, 44 per cent of employees surveyed said their job was more stressful than a year ago. As a result, 45 per cent said they’ve either considered leaving their job in the last year, left a job or plan to do so soon.
Extreme stressful conditions can cause employees to have short tempers and poor working relationships. In a 2000 survey of 775 workers, the University of North Carolina’s Business School found that 12 per cent of workers had quit their jobs to avoid nasty people at work, and 45 per cent were thinking about doing so. In addition, more than half of workers lost time worrying about irate or rude people in the office.
Managers should be very concerned with the stress levels of their employees, because stress has a big impact on worker productivity. To avoid desk rage, it’s important to identify employee stress and catch it before it blows up.
Recognising extreme stress
People don’t normally all of a sudden flip out; they give off early warning signals. Luckily, managers can observe signs of stress in employee behaviour, beginning with milder signs and culminating in desk rage. Be observant for the following stress stages:
• Physical stage: Headaches, illness, fatigue.
• Social stage: Negativity, blaming things on others, missed deadlines, working through lunch.
• Cerebral stage: Clock-watching, errors in assignments, minor accidents, absentmindedness and indecisiveness.
• Emotional stage: Anger, sadness, crying, yelling, feelings of being overwhelmed, depression.
• Spiritual stage: Brooding, crying, wanting to make drastic changes in life, not relating well with people, distancing themselves from personal relationships.
Desk rage is usually a four stage stress reaction when an employee ‘just can’t take it any more’. The manager’s role is to catch people in the earlier stress stages and circumvent more serious issues.
The difficult task is that two employees can experience the same situation and react completely opposite – one person is challenged while another is profoundly affected. Managers must distinguish positive stress signals in employees from negative ones. Some stress is good and necessary for employees to experience drive, motivation and ambition. Workers without enough stress at work can have a lacklustre performance at work from boredom or lack of challenge. Too much stress can result in diminished performance and desk rage.
Combating desk rage
Here are some ways managers can combat desk rage and rudeness in the workplace.
Evaluate employee workloads. This almost goes without saying, but since overwork is one of the biggest causes of desk rage, try not to pile too much on one person. When you have key employees who work hard and effectively, you naturally delegate important projects and tasks to them. That’s understandable because you trust them. Unfortunately, your overzealousness and confidence in your superstars can burn them out. If you want to keep your key people, make sure you share the load with other employees. Encourage employees to be honest when they are overloaded. Determine what tasks have little value and could be taken off their plates. Offer time management coaching or help in prioritising tasks.
Confront employee aggression. Your staff are most likely aware of a co-worker’s anger problems, but they may be reluctant to say something to you for fear of getting that person in trouble. So if you observe someone brushing by a co-worker in the hall, making a sarcastic comment, yelling at a colleague (or equipment) or calling people inappropriate names, you must intervene. Think of desk rage as a performance management situation. Don’t look the other way and condone bullying.
Reduce noise levels. According to a 2002 study by Cornell University, there’s a link between stress and open office noise. Employees who are exposed to constant, low-level noises in their environments – keyboards, voices, or the hum of a photocopier –have elevated levels of stress hormones. Workers in noisier settings run out of steam more quickly and don’t concentrate as well.
Encourage workers to take a lunch, get away from the office and get some fresh air. If you’re going to be out of the office, offer your office to an employee needing privacy to complete an important task. Try white noise machines or headsets. Try and find solutions to offset noise such as relocating copy machines or installing higher cubicle partitions.
Encourage employees to take advantage of de-stressing programs. Many organisations have an employee wellness program that includes massage, meditation, yoga or Tai Chi. Workout facilities, recreation rooms and even golf putting greens are making their way into the workplace. A water department in the US has private rooms where workers can shut the door and nap. Some organisations help with car pooling, feeling that decreased road rage equates to decreased desk rage. Managers should encourage employees to use these programs and be a good role model by using them too.
Sponsor seminars. Workshops on stress management, emotional control and professional courtesy are becoming as commonplace as diversity and sexual harassment training. Educate your employees about the signs of stress, how to control anger and deal with an irate person. Without the tools to handle desk rage at work, employees will waste time worrying about or trying to avoid nasty people at work or quit to avoid the person.
Evaluate people on civility. Having specific policies and a new line on your performance appraisal rating employees on manners, civility and courtesy might alter the way people behave toward one another. People might think twice before mouthing off if it’s going to show up on their performance reviews and affect their raises or bonuses.
Encourage holidays. One in six US employees is so overworked that they’re unable to use up annual leave, according to a 2001 Oxford Health Plans survey. However, holidays are not frivolous activities; they are essential to staying healthy and productive. Don’t let employees wear ‘haven’t taken a holiday since …’ like a badge of honour. When an employee hasn’t had a holiday in two years, you should be seriously unimpressed. Respectfully tell that employee it’s time to take a break.
Have fun. Lighten up the environment and boost employee morale with a few stress reducing, laughter-producing initiatives. One manager at mobile phone company Nextel routinely hands out stress toys and squeezies in their call centre. Phone reps occasionally get two paid hours off in shifts to go to a movie. It’s more fun and less stressful to work in a company where people enjoy themselves and have a good time.
Encourage EAP programs and counselling. Some employees need professional help beyond your ability and could benefit from short-term therapy. Your employee assistance program (EAP) can help employees cope with high stress levels. Although you can’t force an employee to participate, you could remind all employees of the availability of the service, should they feel the need for some extra help to get through a difficult time. Some companies offer free onsite anger management counselling services for employees on work hours.
Involve HR. If employees are sexually harassed, they generally know where to go and how to report it. Most companies, however, lack procedures to report rudeness because being rude to a co-worker isn’t against the law. HR can create procedures so if employees don’t feel comfortable going to their manager, they have somewhere to go. Employees should know where to turn when someone brings them to tears.
As children, we cried to get our way. If that didn’t work, we screamed. If that reaped no results, we threw a temper tantrum – kicking, squirming or holding our breath. That usually did it. People did things for us. It took genuine rage and anger to pull that off, but it got people’s attention.
Now we’ve grown up. Or, have we? Managers can get angry and yell when others won’t do what they want. It’s a bad way to arrive at a decision, but temper tantrums still work for some. If a manager’s constantly yelling at their assistant, don’t be shocked when the assistant yells at someone else. What is tolerated will be repeated, and what is modelled will be reinforced.
Laura Stack is author of Leave the Office Earlier (Broadway Books, 2004) and can be contacted via her website at www.theproductivitypro.com.
