Macquarie Institute Australia - Article Library

Article: Losing cool due tostress at work

The Sunday Telegraph(Sydney), April 28, 2002

Job-related stress is causing an increase in workplace outbursts, according to a new survey.

The TMP Worldwide http://au.tmp.com survey of 6000 employees revealed 16 per cent of respondents worked in an office where yelling and verbal abuse happened frequently and one in 10 employees reported being the victim of violence in the workplace. The study also found 65 per cent of employees admitted to losing their temper with a boss or co-worker due to pressure or stress.

Ninety per cent said they had witnessed a workplace outburst by their boss or co-worker.

In the legal sector, 100 per cent of respondents said they had witnessed a colleague lose their temper or yell at work, and 36 per cent of legal workers said they had been a victim of workplace violence.

Jason Johnson, legal department practice manager at TMP Worldwide, says that longer hours and greater workloads are to blame for the increase in workplace outbursts.

"Many employers are expecting more work in less time from their workers, leading to increasingly stressful work environments," Johnson says.

"The results of this study support this trend, with 88 per cent of employees reporting that they are affected by workplace stress."