Top five scariest workplace tasks

When it comes to delivering uncomfortable news or requests, the buck usually passes to HR. Telling an employee they’re not performing well, terminating a contract or even disciplining a co-worker can make for some cringeworthy meetings.

A survey from Powwownow looked into what tasks UK employees find to be the scariest in their workplaces. The most awkward task, according to the report, was deemed to be giving negative feedback, with 53% claiming to find it unnerving.

Following that was making a phone call in front of colleagues (36%), with one in five admitting to completely ignoring this task in the hope that it will go away.

Employees also get anxious before asking for a pay rise, with two thirds of workers admitting they’re afraid to call in sick – as they don’t think their managers will believe them.

87% said that they were more likely to address tasks that scared them in person or over the phone, as opposed to hiding behind emails.

The top five scariest workplace tasks are;

• Giving negative feedback to a colleague
• Making a phone call in front of colleagues
• Presenting to colleagues
• Explaining you’ve missed a target to a manager
• Having to say no to a client or customer

“While it’s great to see that picking up the phone and opening the channels of communication helps people conquer the most common workplace fears, more needs to be done to help alleviate anxiety in the UK workplace,” commented Jason Downes, managing director of Powwownow.

“Today’s professionals rightly consider wellbeing and a healthy work-life balance as top priorities, and businesses need to start providing environments that support these. Giving regular updates on company policies around sick leave and flexible working will create environments that positively combat workplace fears.”