-Caveat Lector- One in Four Employees Angry at Work By EVELYNE GIRARDET .c The Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) - As she headed home from her job as an administrative assistant at a bank, the stress and anger lingering from Ariella Winograd's workday apparently showed. ``Did my boss call you? Can you read my face?'' Ms. Winograd said when asked Monday about anger in the workplace. ``I definitely have office rage.'' She's not alone. Nearly 25 percent of respondents to a 1996 Gallup nationwide telephone survey of 1,000 adults age 18 or older who were employed full- or part-time indicated that they were ``generally at least somewhat angry at work,'' according to a new study. Authors of the study say the statistic may help explain recent outbursts of workplace violence. ``In an environment where you think people are satisfied with their jobs, there is a sort of undercurrent of anger and resentment aimed at the workplace that could potentially lead to the kinds of explosions of rage we have seen,'' said Donald Gibson, a professor at the Yale University School of Management and a co-author the study. The study, ``The Experience of Anger at Work: Lessons from the Chronically Angry,'' is scheduled to be presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management in Chicago. It was sponsored by Marlin Co., a Connecticut-based management consulting firm. Authorities say workplace rage was a factor in the July 29 shooting spree in which Mark O. Barton killed nine people and injured 12 others in two Atlanta office buildings where he worked as a day trader. A week later, Alan Eugene Miller killed three people at two Pelham, Ala., companies where he had worked, prosecutors say. Despite the headlines, homicides at work are declining. There were 856 work-related murders in 1997, a 7 percent drop from 1996 that mirrors the fall in violent crime nationwide during this economic boom, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the study, the most common cause of workplace anger - cited by 11 percent of those questioned - was the actions of supervisors or managers. Nine percent said co-workers, others not being productive and tight deadlines or a heavy workload were to blame. Others cited dealing with the public and being treated badly as reasons for their anger. ``There has been a lot of downsizing. A lot of companies are leaner and meaner, and many of the workers who are left feel overworked and underappreciated,'' Gibson said. Ms. Winograd said her workplace peeves include condescending superiors and managers who do much of their business on the golf course, leaving the real work to assistants. Ed Gordon, a computer consultant from Waukegan, said that to a certain degree, he can relate to the anger that led to acts of workplace violence. ``You wonder, `What would it take?' and then you think, `Jeez, could I do anything like that?''' he said. Gibson said most of the effects of workplace anger are subtle. They include a hostile work environment and the tendency to do the minimum amount of work to get by, resulting in a drop in productivity. Suppressed workplace anger has also been linked to health complaints, such as anxiety, depression, high blood pressure and heart disease. Gibson said managers need to communicate more with their workers in order to nip anger in the bud before it affects productivity or worse. ``They need to keep exploring, `Am I as a manager taking actions that are causing anger?' and `How is that affecting my company?''' he said. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
