Passive Aggressive Responses in the Workplace

Passive Aggressive Responses in the Workplace
by Joni Jones

Satisfaction in the workplace is on a decline according to surveys and backyard conversations. Dissatisfied employees are opening up about feeling stressed and having difficulty with the underlying anxiety and mood swings that often accompany such responses.

Passive aggressive responses are not unusual when employees become resentful. There seems to be an increase in workplace gossip whether presented openly in the lounge or break room or heard more subtly through whispering gossip. A domino effect amongst other employees can readily ensue.

Other passive aggressive responses in the workplace may include:

When tension rises individuals are more likely to have focusing challenges and can become easily overwhelmed. This can interfere with problem solving processes and therefore negatively impact productivity. Impulsive responses, reactions to unfounded beliefs or repetitive “what if” thoughts can also interfere with positive relationships amongst co-workers.

There can be an observable direct relationship seen between productivity and motivation. Therefore if an employee’s productivity declines it is likely that a lack of motivation will present. Many employees can revert to automatic responses and find themselves just going through motions. This affects “mindfulness” or their awareness of what is presently happening in the moment. The employee can also appear to be in a fog and show disorganization. Customer service suddenly can become compromised.

Employees may not even be aware of how they are presenting or viewed in the workplace. Work performance evaluations, lack of goal attainment, unforeseen errors or disciplinary actions can be interpreted to reflective manager’s leadership abilities toward their staff. Early recognition of such decompensation can be a win-win situation for all.

A rise in workplace demands can influence the risk of the development of more severe challenges if left unaddressed. Everybody has their own day to day personal stressors and it is hard to leave those stressors behind if effective coping skills are not in place. Simply walking through a door does not remove the demands we return to at the end of the work day.

Answering affirmatively to having such challenges in the workplace can be easily resolved and prevented in the future by simply investing in finding a resolution. Having the proper education to develop an effective plan of action can help both employees and their bosses in creating a more positive work environment.

Creating a healthier environment can be achieved by learning the seven factors that are known to affect adrenal gland responses. These are the physical responses in our body that impact our overall sense of well-being. Underlying anxiety can produce somatic responses such as pain and illness leading to an increase in the amount of call-outs in the workplace. Ineffective coping skills can lead to early retirements and disability claims. Neuropsychiatric disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S as reported by The National Institute of Health. The World Health Organization adds about 23% of all years lost because of disability worldwide is caused by mental and substance use disorders.

There is an increased number of individuals in the workplace with substance use disorders which can also lead to undesirable responses and acute hospitalizations. These disorders can lead to a crisis situation in the workplace and because of the epidemic we are now facing in our community, I personally feel that everyone in and out of the workplace should become aware and educated on how to manage a potential crisis in themselves as well as their peers. There has been increased reporting of crisis experiences in the workplace and we all can take part in minimizing such occurrences. One life lost is always one life too many.