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May 24, 2011 by Dianne Shaddock Leave a Comment

Workplace Drama? Employer’s Guide to Understanding Work Stress Reactions

Workplace Drama? Employer’s Guide to Understanding Work Stress Reactions

Does a worker react with all the drama of a five-year-old when they feel they’ve been treated unfairly?  Does a staffer respond to a reprimand by being mean to co-workers? Work stress caused by feelings of unfair treatment can trigger a host of counterproductive reactions, such as tardiness, theft, and insubordination. So what determines how an employee reacts to those situations? What kind of employee engagement tactics can head off these reactions?

Personal values play a role in how a staffer reacts to work stress.

The way an employee responds to perceived unfair treatment is often rooted in their personal values, according to a study from the Rutgers School of Business and Temple University’s Fox School of Business and Management. Researchers discovered that staffers with a good work ethic will continue to display that ethic even when faced with work stress caused by perceived injustices. It’s important to note that while positive core values might prevent these employees from actively retaliating to unfair situations, the study authors suggest these workers may exhibit another reaction: finding work elsewhere.

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The findings add insight to previous studies that found a strong correlation between perceived injustice and non-productive behavior. Researchers (and employers) have long known that when employees experience work stress because they feel they’re being treated unfairly, they sometimes retaliate against the company or colleagues. And those actions come with a price tag: study authors note that workplace deviance, such as time-wasting and theft, is estimated to cost companies between $50 billion and $200 billion annually.

Boost employee job satisfaction with this employee engagement strategy.

Treating employees fairly starts with building a culture that emphasizes respect and dignity among staffers. Consider, for example, implementing a company Code of Conduct that guides interactions between employees and between employees and supervisors. Use the guidelines to emphasize the importance of workplace fairness.

When workers feel they’ve been treated unfairly, they may retaliate in ways that eat into your bottom line and lower morale among other team members. Reduce that work stress by building a culture of respect and dignity for all employees.

 

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Dianne Shaddock

President and Founder at Easy Small Business HR
Get more tips on interviewing, hiring, managing and engaging your employees. Dianne Shaddock is the President of Easy Small Business HR, Employee Hiring and Managing Tips and the author of the eGuides, "How To Supervise:  What Your Boss Never Told You Before You Took the Job", A Step-By-Step Guide For New and Seasoned Managers and "How To Find and Hire the Best Employees".
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Latest posts by Dianne Shaddock (see all)

  • Build the Best Team for Your Small Business - November 12, 2019
  • Cross Training Staff – Doing the Right Thing For the Wrong Reasons - January 18, 2019
  • Proactive Employee Management Really Boils Down To The Basics - December 21, 2015
  • Office Meetings Do Not Have To Be A Productivity Time Drain If Done Right - November 17, 2015
  • Proposed Changes To Employee Rights Laws: WAGE Act Bill - November 3, 2015

Filed Under: Dealing with Difficult Employees, Employee Benefits, Employee Performance, Employee Retention & Engagement, Employee Turnover, Managing Employees, Policies and Procedures, Recruitment/Interviewing/Hiring, Supervisor Tips and Strategies, Workplace Safety Tagged With: Employee Engagement, employee job satisfaction, Treating employees fairly, Work stress, workplace fairness

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