Notice: Undefined offset: 0 in /var/www/thinkright-website/wp-content/themes/thinkright-child/template-parts/content.php on line 125
Fear at workplace often works like a slithering serpent which you don’t notice until it chooses to bite you. It’s different from workplace anxiety which you may feel after your employer gives you a tough target to achieve. As a result of the fear at workplace you might change your behaviour at work because you are perhaps frightened of someone or something.
You don’t end up giving feedback during a presentation because you feel that your boss will have an outburst. You don’t share your ideas with your team because you feel they will ridicule your suggestions. You feel afraid that the new recruit will result in you being fired. You are afraid to take risky decisions that are likely to pay off because you feel that you will ruin it. You feel crippled in front of your laptop and cannot give your best because you are afraid that rest of the people in the company think you are a failure.
How to manage your fear at workplace in a better way?
Negate Negativity
Be ready for the fact that bad news can come anytime. It’s more commonplace in a working environment than you think. The trick is to hold your ground and react positively to a problem. The person giving the message shouldn’t sense that you are afraid or tensed. You must be firm and offer a solution. This will stop you from feeding off each other’s fears and make you work as a team to solve the issue.
Never neglect your colleagues
The fancy term for any mutual disagreement is an impasse. Impasses can create an overwhelming sense of fear because they make you feel like you have reached a deadlock. You might overreact and heighten the conflict which can alienate the other person from working with you in the future. It’s important to respect each other’s opinion on a professional level and that should be communicated. This kind of cooperation reduces fear in both parties because everyone feels included in the conversation.
Masterfully avoid misunderstandings
The worst workplaces are the ones where you constantly doubt how people are interpreting you. In these offices, you end up assuming about the other person’s points rather than asking them directly. This creates an atmosphere of fear where people are afraid of telling the truth which affects productivity and professionalism. A clear explanation of what your goals are in a project and why you are proposing the opinion you are proposing will make people warm up to you. Similarly, you can ask for clarification on a particular colleague’s point instead of jumping into vague presumptions. It’s important to establish a clear line of communication which is healthy and stable in order to reduce fear at workplace.
Fear at workplace is not a demon that’s hard to deal with. You just need to have belief in the mantra that you want to be productive and give it your best. This willingness to embrace progress will automatically lead you towards solutions which will make you look at fear in the eye and have a good laugh.
Read more: How conflicts can help you grow better?
