Question
Point/Counterpoint: Sometimes Yelling is for Everyone's Good Discuss the importance of individual moods and emotions in the workplace using reflective and critical thinking. Point Anger
Point/Counterpoint: Sometimes Yelling is for Everyone's Good
Discuss the importance of individual moods and emotions in the workplace using reflective and critical thinking.
Point
Anger is discussed throughout this chapter for a reason: It's an important emotion. There are benefits to expressing anger. For one, research indicates that only employees who are committed to their organizations tend to express their anger, and generally only to leaders who created the situation. This type of expression of anger could lead to positive organizational change. Second, suppressed anger can lower job satisfaction and lead to a feeling of hopelessness about things improving.
Even with these findings, we hear a lot about not responding emotionally to work challenges. Work cultures teach us to avoid showing any anger at all, lest we be seen as poor workers or worse, unprofessional, or even deviant or violent. While, of course, there are times when the expression of anger is harmful or unprofessional, we've taken this view so far that we now teach people to suppress perfectly normal emotions, and to ignore the effectiveness of some emotional expression.
Emerging research shows that suppressing anger takes a terrible internal toll on individuals. One Stanford University study found, for example, that when individuals were asked to wear a poker face during the showing of a movie clip depicting the atomic bombings of Japan during World War II, they were much more stressed in conversations after the video. Other research shows that college students who suppress emotions like anger have more trouble making friends and are more likely to be depressed, and that employees who suppress anger feel more stressed by work.
For the good of organizations and their employees, we should encourage people not to hold back their emotions, but to share them constructively.
Counterpoint
Yes, anger is a common emotion. But it's also a toxic one for the giver and the receiver. Angry outbursts can compromise the heart and contribute to diabetes, among other ill effects. The experience of another's anger and its close correlate, hostility, is also linked to many counterproductive behaviors in organizations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 15 percent of fatal workplace injuries result from workplace violence. That is why many organizations have developed counteractive techniquesto blunt the harmful effects of anger in the workplace.
To reduce outcomes, many companies develop policies that govern conduct such as yelling, shouting profanities, and making hostile gestures. Others institute anger management programs. For example, one organization conducted mandatory in-house workshops that showed individuals how to deal with conflicts in the workplace before they boil over. The director who instituted the training said it "gave people specific tools for opening a dialogue to work things out." MTS Systems, a Minnesota engineering firm, engages an outside consulting company to conduct anger management programs for its organization. Typically, MTS consultants hold an 8-hour seminar that discusses sources of anger, conflict resolution techniques, and organizational policies. This is followed by one-on-one sessions with individual employees that focus on cognitive behavioral techniques to manage their anger. The outside trainer charges around $10,000 for the seminar and one-on-one sessions. The financial cost, though, is worth it for the emotional benefits the participants receive. "You want people to get better at communicating with each other," says MTS manager Karen Borre.
In the end, everyone wins when organizations seek to diminish both the experience and the expression of anger at work. The work environment becomes less threatening and stressful to employees and customers. Employees are likely to feel safer, and the angry employee is often helped as well.
Suggested website for additional information:
Society for Human Resource Management (https://www.shrm.org/).
Answer the following questions.
- Choose either the Point or Counterpoint viewpoint to discuss.
- Research this topic to find a current article or study (within the past year) pertaining to the topic to include in your submission. What did you learn - write up a brief summary (1 paragraph) in your own words.
- What recommendation and benefit would you suggest for a company policy on displays of anger in the workplace? Justify your answer.
Point/Counterpoint: Earning That Promotion May Be Key to Higher Job Satisfaction
Explain the relationship between promotions and job security and job satisfaction
Point
Who would not want to be promoted? Promotions usually mean higher pay, greater job autonomy, and authority. As one of the facets of the Job Descriptive Index (JDI), opportunities for promotion are in fact linked to job satisfaction. Not only does research show that a promotion can have the same positive impact on job satisfaction as a 69 percent increase in wages, even just believing you may receive a promotion can have an even stronger effect on job satisfaction. These findings may have a significant impact on reducing turnover as research shows that job satisfaction is a key predictor of whether an employee decides to leave or stay in a position.
Likewise, individuals who believed a promotion was possible in the next two years were more likely to remain at the same organization. More and more employees, particularly millennials and Gen Xers, consider career advancement opportunities to be important to job satisfaction. While people often associate higher pay with higher employee satisfaction, pay is not as important as other facets of job satisfaction. In fact, dissatisfied workers have been found more likely to cite a lack of advancement opportunities rather than low pay as a reason for job dissatisfaction. A great example of the impact of promotions and advancement opportunities is Bain & Company, an organization consistently ranked among the best places to work. The company has also been ranked among the top ten companies for working mothers, attributing this ranking to the sponsorship and training programs geared toward helping women to advance and achieve their professional goals.
Counterpoint
Yes, opportunities for promotion can lead to higher job satisfaction, but of the five facets of the JDI, it is not the most predictive. Furthermore, a recent study of 2,500 U.S. workers found that job security and the work environment were most important to job satisfaction. More specifically, coworkers and immediate supervisors influenced the job satisfaction of more than half of those surveyed. In addition, even in the cases when promotions have a positive impact on job satisfaction, any positive effect soon fades away within three to four years after the promotion is received.
There is even some research that points to gender differences in job satisfaction after a promotion. Results from these studies support the "glass-ceiling" hypothesis that not only is it more difficult for women to attain management positions, but women face greater obstacles as they are promoted to upper-management positions. If organizations are serious about closing the gender gap in managerial representation, investigating gender differences in job satisfaction is key, specifically focusing on individuals who are promoted to upper and lower managerial levels. Moreover, when developing gender inclusive practices, organizations often propose solutions such as more work flexibility and promotion opportunities. However, as the research demonstrates, a promotion may not be enough. Getting to the top may just be half the battle, as women may encounter pushback with others questioning their authority and minimizing their contributions.
Regardless of gender, employees may also find that a promotion does not match their expectations. A new role may mean greater authority and higher pay. On the other hand, it may also mean more hours than expected, and the increase in pay may not be enough to make up for the demands of the job. Thus, it should not be assumed that promotions will necessarily lead to more satisfied and fulfilled employees.
Answer the following questions:
- Choose either the Point or Counterpoint viewpoint to discuss.
- Research this topic to find a current article or study (within the past year) pertaining to the topic to include in your submission. What did you learn - write up a brief summary (1 paragraph) in your own words.
- Discuss if more job security and promotion opportunities would increase the likes and decrease the dislikes.
- Would more promotion opportunities cause you or others to work harder? Explain why it would or would not.
- Conclude how much your supervisors or managers control things that would increase your likes or dislikes, and motivation or demotivation for the job. Justify your answer.
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