A survey by Pertemps has identified a simmering fury beneath the surface of many offices.

Main Findings
– 53 per cent of office staff had nearly resorted to violence at work, with loud-mouthed colleagues. Principal causes of anger include shouting across the office and talking over other people in meetings.

– IT problems, such as malfunctioning computers, caused 53 per cent of respondents to lose their temper, followed by excessive work loads (51 per cent), and interruptions while on the phone (37 per cent).

– 60 per cent of respondents lost their temper regularly at work. Although men shouted more often than women (67 per cent compared to 46 per cent), women had the strongest desire to hit people who had upset them (51 per cent compared to 39 per cent).

– Asked how they coped with anger, nearly a third of respondents (31 per cent) said they ignored the person responsible. Twenty per cent, the majority of whom were women, made a cup of tea, while 15 per cent cursed under their breath. Eight per cent admitted to hitting their malfunctioning computer.

– Nearly three quarters (74 per cent) of employees said they were less productive when in a bad mood and 15 per cent worked slower when their boss was angry for fear of making a mistake.

– Eighty one per cent of workers believed that anger in the workplace had a detrimental effect on morale. Forty seven per cent felt that longer hours, more responsibility and tight deadlines had increased the number of office rage cases they had encountered over the last couple of years.

Tim Watts, chairman of Pertemps, said: “The latest annual British Crime Survey reveals 1.3 million incidents of violence at work, involving 604,000 workers. There are several pieces of legislation relating to violence in the workplace, including the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It is important that employers are aware of their responsibilities in this area.”

Pertemps are offering some advice:

Identify problem areas

Separate workers who are clashing
Try to diffuse conflict early
Ensure staff can speak openly with managers about problems
Ensure office plans provide individuals with adequate space.
Do not overcrowd
Ensure workers have a manageable workload and try not to set unrealistic deadlines
Ensure all technology works efficiently and have a trouble-shooter to fix problems
Offer stress counselling

Employees

Do not disturb colleagues with excessive noise
Avoid gossip – it can be hurtful and causes offence
Control your own stress levels
Remain calm in the face of provocation. Walk away, take a break and diffuse the situation
Consult your manager to air any problem issues
Plan your workload and highlight any foreseeable problems
Never resort to violence

How do you defuse situationsand avoid trouble? Post your comments below.