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Anger and violence in the workplace
A problem no employer can afford to
ignore
More
than half of office staff in the UK claim they have become so angry at
work they have nearly punched a colleague.
A
survey conducted in 2002 by recruitment agency Pertemps found that 53
per cent of office staff had nearly resorted to violence at work. The
main cause of anger for 64 per cent was loudmouthed colleagues who
shouted across the office and talked over other people in meetings.
The survey showed that 60 per cent
of respondents lost their temper regularly at work. Men shouted
more often than women (67 per cent compared to 46 per cent), but women
had the strongest desire to hit people who had upset them (51 per cent
compared to 39 per cent).
Asked
how they coped with anger, nearly a third of respondents (31 per cent)
said they ignored the person responsible. Nearly three quarters (74 per
cent) of employees said they were less productive when in a bad
mood and 15 per cent worked slower when their boss was angry for fear
of making a mistake.
Eighty
one per cent of workers believed that anger in the workplace had a
detrimental effect on morale. Longer hours, more responsibility and
tight deadlines had increased the number of office rage cases they had
encountered over the last couple of years. According to the British
Crime Survey, there are 1.3 million incidents of violence at work in the UK
every year.
There
are several pieces of legislation relating to violence in the
workplace, including the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It is
important that employers are aware of their responsibilities in this
area. Angry and violent behaviour can be dangerous, de-motivating and
stressful for all concerned.
We
advise companies to consult regularly with staff, identify potential
sources of conflict and try to diffuse it early.
At
TCLuk Training we specialise in helping people to understand
the causes of conflict in the workplace, and we provide lasting
solutions.
In
particular, our fun and engaging teambuilding days help people to
communicate better. We also can help in such areas as delegation, time
management, project management, appraisals and supervisions, and much
more.
As
well, our NVQs offer nationally recognised qualifications to help your
staff work more productively.
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