Who Are American Workers Scared of at the Office This Halloween?

Business Wire, Oct 22, 2007

Adecco USA survey finds bosses at the top of the list this year

MELVILLE, N.Y. -- In recognition of Halloween, which approaches on Wednesday, October 31, Adecco USA, the world's largest workforce solutions provider, conducted a Workplace Insights survey to determine who U.S. workers are scared of at the office. Of those who responded that they do fear someone at work, they said they are most afraid of their:

1. Boss (34%)

2. President/CEO (28%)

3. Co-worker (25%)

4. HR representative (9%)

5. Front desk receptionist (5%)

Other interesting findings include:

* 60% of adults who are scared by a part of their job are afraid of making a mistake

* 46% of those whose job requires them to communicate with others and are scared of something at work are afraid of saying the wrong thing at work

"The office should not be a place where fear is a factor, even on Halloween," says Bernadette Kenny, Chief Career Officer of Adecco USA. "Employers should do their best to create a safe and fun environment for their employees all year round."

If you are scared of someone in the workplace, Bernadette Kenny provides some guidance below on how to manage through it:

* Assess the situation: Ask yourself, "Why am I scared of this person?" and determine if it's a valid reason. If it is, you may want to address it with them directly to try and alleviate the fear factor. For example, if you're afraid of someone because of the way they speak to you (e.g., a rough tone) let them know that you would appreciate it if they could ease their tone when speaking with you. Be sure to avoid being confrontational so that you can have a productive dialog.

* Managing through it on your own: Sometimes, if we change the way we view someone or change the way we interact with them it can change the dynamic of the work relationship. For example, someone who has a natural "fear" of talking to the CEO can mitigate their fear on their own if they build their confidence. One way, is to envision yourself having a conversation with the CEO and play it out in your mind. Hopefully, when you're faced with the situation in real life, it will feel more comfortable, as if you've done this before.

* Tapping HR: If the situation is serious - hindering your performance and causing you undue anxiety at work - you may want to consider tapping HR for guidance. If your situation is one where you're afraid to deal with it personally, you should go to your local HR contact, explain the situation in detail, providing specific examples so that they can provide you with the best counsel.

Survey Methodology:

This Halloween survey was conducted online within the United States on behalf of Adecco USA between September 26 and September 28, 2007 among 2,442 adults ages 18 and over.Results were weighted as needed for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the U.S. adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris Interactive online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

ADECCO WORLDWIDE:

Adecco S.A. is a Global Fortune 500 company and the world leader in workforce solutions. The Adecco Group network connects over 700,000 associates with business clients each day through its network of over 33,000 employees and 6,600 offices in over 70 countries and territories around the world. Registered in Switzerland, and managed by a multinational team with expertise in markets spanning the globe, the Adecco Group delivers an unparalleled range of flexible staffing and career resources to corporate clients and qualified associates.

ADECCO NORTH AMERICA:

Adecco is the workforce solutions leader in the United States and Canada, with a comprehensive service offering that includes temporary and contract staffing, permanent recruitment, outplacement and career services, training and consulting. In addition to its core competency in administrative, clerical and light industrial staffing, Adecco operates the following specialty divisions: Engineering & Technical; Finance & Accounting; Information Technology; Medical & Science; Legal; Human Capital Solutions; Government Solutions; and Transportation.