4.2.7. Office Rage

When people work together in a stressful environment, perhaps in an open-plan office, there is a serious risk that someone will show symptoms of 'office rage'. Stress is often regarded as being the basic cause of such outbursts. It is clear, however, that poor manners can be a major contributor to the build up of this problem in yourself or your colleagues.

Commonly quoted causes of 'office rage' include:

• Intrusion into a person's working space, such as perching uninvited on their desk, dumping files or handbags on top of papers or moving items to make space for their own work.

• Regularly leaving a copier, printer or fax machine jammed or out of paper.

• Leaving housekeeping routines on PCs or networks for colleagues to complete.

• Persistent untidiness, such as leaving unfinished food or drink around the working space or failing to return files or records used by others to their proper places.

• Lack of civility in such things as basic greetings or unwelcome teasing.

• Irritating personal habits such as muttering, whistling, constantly fidgeting and so on.

• Poor personal hygiene. Smokers causing a nuisance to non-smoking colleagues.

Every one of us is guilty of the occasional blunder and act of thoughtlessness in the way we treat our colleagues. When this happens a rapid and complete apology is what is required.

The symptoms of office rage in oneself vary according to the individual but are often generally described as feelings 'boiling up'. You may act out of character, being peevish to colleagues innocent of the offences that are troubling you. Almost certainly the quality of your work and your motivation will suffer. The more polite and considerate a person you are, the more likely it is that you will suppress your feelings over a long period. The eruption, when it comes, is then equally likely to be more violent. When his or her patience is finally exhausted the enraged person often acts totally irrationally, probably screaming and shouting at everyone in general or collapsing in floods of tears. Deal calmly and rationally with the person involved until the outburst is over. Never allow yourself to become caught up in the emotion of the moment however much you may sympathise with its cause.

To avoid office rage you should:

• Talk to colleagues and your boss about the problem.

• Make constructive suggestions about improvements to working practices.

• Keep your sense of humour.

• Find someone you can let off steam to when the pres­sure mounts.

If all this fails you may have to decide whether or not you can continue to work in a job that causes you unnecessary stress.

Assignments

I. Memorise the following words:

rage	лють, гнів, несамовитість
outburst	вибух, спалах (гніву)
build up	розростання
to perch	сідати, залізати, влаштовуватися
housekeeping routine	звичайна адміністративно-господарська робота
to dump	скидати, звалювати (в купу)
to jam	заїдати, застрявати
untidiness	неохайність, неакуратність
records	документація
to mutter	говорити нечітко і тихо
to fidget	метушитися, нервувати
nuisance	прикрість, неприємність, незручність
blunder	груба помилка
peevish	сварливий, з важким характером
offence	образа, кривда
civility	ввічливість, коректність
eruption	виверження, вибух
violent	несамовитий, шалений
enraged person	розлютована особа
to tease	дражнити
working practice	практична діяльність
considerate	тактовний

ІІ Suggest the Ukrainian equivalents of the words and phrases below:

to suppress feelings; patience is exhausted; to let off steam; the pressure mounts; lack of civility; to collapse in floods of tears; to act out of character; to become caught up in the emotion; the outburst is over; to keep one’s sense of humour; act of thoughtlessness; intrusion into smb’s working space; to dump files on top of papers; to make space; poor manners; open-plan office; to fail to return records to their proper place; jammed paper; irritating personal habits; personal hygiene; to act irrationally; unwelcome teasing.

III. Find English equivalents to the following phrases:

офіс з відкритим плануванням (без стін, які б поділяли його на окремі кімнати); папір що застряг; спалах гніву припинився; вторгнення у чийсь робочий простір; особисті звички, які дратують; особиста гігієна; робоче місце; демонструвати свій характер; стримувати /приховувати почуття; терпець урвався; бути у полоні емоцій; зберігати почуття гумору; ‘випустити пару’; ситуація стає напруженою; брак ввічливості; вибухнути потоком сліз; діяти нелогічно, нерозумно; нерозумний вчинок; небажана спроба роздражнити.

IV Answer the questions:

1. What are the most commonly quoted causes of “office rage”?

2. What should you do to limit the irritation your behaviour may cause to others, and control your own inclination to “office rage”?

V Translate into English:

1. Однією з причин проявів гніву в офісі є стресове оточення.

2. Часто ми поводимося сварливо по відношенню до своїх колег, чиєї вини немає в тому, що нас хтось образив.

3. Коли людина довгий час стримує свої емоції, це погрожує вилитися в несамовиті спалахи гніву.

4. Ніколи не дозволяйте емоціям заволодіти вами.