Exploring Word Phobias in the Workplace
Denise M. Cumberland, Ph.D.*
Assistant Professor
University of Louisville
Department of Leadership, Foundations & Human Resource Education
College of Education
Louisville, KY 40292
Office: 502-609-3504
*corresponding author
Ann Herd, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Louisville
Department of Leadership, Foundations & Human Resource Education
College of Education
Louisville, KY 40292
Megan Church-Nally, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor
Bellarmine University
Louisville, KY
Rhonda Mattingly, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Louisville
Department of Surgery
STREAM: CAREER MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
SUBMISSION TYPE: ABSTRACT / REFEREED PAPER (1250 WORDS)
Exploring Word Phobias in the Workplace
Abstract
Reaction to words in the workplace may influence how employees pursue opportunities for advancement, the length of time they spend on a project, whether they are willing to ask for a raise or promotion, and how they navigate the social structures internally. The purpose of this exploratory study is to determine what words employees “fear” hearing? Thisresearch is the first stage of a larger study ongender differences in word phobias. By having men and women identify what words they fear hearing in a work context, we are able to determine the list of words and statements that employees dread hearing from their supervisor. The results of this study will be used to create a survey measure to assess the intensity of reaction to these words and phrases, and explore whether there are gender differences in how employees react to feared words.
Keywords: Gender; feedback; word phobia
Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me. We all remember this childhood rhyme – but is it true? Words have power; what we hear impacts what we think. Importantly, women and men may have different reactions to words in the workplace that influences how they handle their careers. Studies have suggested that women recall more negative words than men (Dewhurst, Anderson Knott 2012). This finding is consistent with prior research that has found women recall more emotional information than men (Bloise & Johnson 2007). Understanding why females have higher recall of negative words and expressions in comparison to males is important in career development and mentoring. First, however, we need to understand whether certain words create more negative reactions for one gender versus the other. The question addressed in the current study is aimed atexploring what words or phrases women and men “fear” hearing from their supervisors.
Individuals vary in how sensitive they are to the social dynamics of language (Tannen 2000). There has been an ebb in empirical research addressing the question of how words used by supervisors can impact employees based on gender. We propose to fill this gap. If women have more intense reactions, or fear hearing words and phrases like, “no,” or, “we can’t do that right now,” or, “it’s not a good time,” they may inadvertently avoid asking for raises, promotions, schedule changes or pursuing their dream for owning a business. Likewise, if women are uncomfortable hearing the words “mistake,” “it’s wrong,” “you didn’t hit the mark,” they may over invest time and energy working on projects to ensure perfection. These types of reactions can hinder a woman’s advancement in a competitive business landscape. Given the potential of suppressing women’s advancement because of reactions to words, we first need to understand if women and men fear the same words. The purpose of this qualitative research study is to gather the words that workers dread hearing from their supervisors.
Study Design and Research Questions
Using qualitative research we employ purposeful sampling during this initial phase of research.Purposeful sampling is an ideal method for gathering specific case information that can further illuminate what questions to ask in an empirical study (Patton 2002). The following research question guided this study: What words do employees fear hearing from their supervisors in the workplace?
Method
To investigate our research question, data were collected from 168 employed adults through an online survey. The sample was recruited online and snowballed out through the electronic means of forwarded emails and social media sites. Of the 250 individuals who viewed this survey, 168 completed it (67.2%), with the majority of the sample composed of females (N =119).
Open-ended Questionnaire
An effective method to discover what respondents think, and what matters to them, is to use open-ended questions. Participants were directed to a unique QuestionPro web link to complete the survey. The first page of the survey indicated that participation was voluntary. Participants were then asked to answer the following open-ended question: Please list all strong words/phases that you personally fear hearing from your supervisor in the workplace. Lastly, the participants supplied demographic information, including gender, employment industry and city. The entire survey, including the demographic information, took no more than five minutes to complete.
Data Coding
The responses to the questions were reviewed repeatedly to look for patterns and consistencies (Miles & Huberman 1994). Two of theco-authors independently developed codes based on the open-ended responses. The co-authors then discussed the initial coding schemata and came to agreement about the meaning of the text analyzed. The first order coding cycle resulted in six themes: job loss; work performance comments; boss subjective statements; punitive actions; boss requests; and work news. Second order coding captured a series of sub-codes under the six themes. Again both co-authors met to review and discuss the meanings of the written responses to ensure reliability. There were 33 words/phrases classified as other.
Findings
A total of 394 words or phrases were provided by the 168 participants. Table 1 provides a summary of codes and sub-codes with the frequency count displayed.
Table 1. Summary of codes and frequency counts for this study
Code / Sub-code / Frequency CountJob Loss (downsizing; layoffs etc.) / 47
Work performance comments
Mistakes / Errors / Failure / 33
Timeliness / Tardiness / 7
Notifications of complaints / 17
Poor performance noted / 11
Boss subjective statements
Overt negative comment / 24
Expression of "disappointment" / 17
Told "no" / 15
Negative questions posed / 8
"Fit" questioned / 6
Being told about punitive action / 11
Boss requests
Need to "talk" / 73
"Accusatory question" posed / 14
"Could you or Would you" / 9
Work News
Making changes / 26
Deadline changes / 15
Additional reports / 13
Overtime required / 6
Told there is "bad news" / 6
Increase to workload / 3
Further analysis of the qualitative data will lead to the development of a survey measure. The measure will be a Likert-type scale with a series of statements that respondents may hear from supervisors, such as “I’m disappointed in your work, or “ We need to talk”, or “You missed the mark.” The choice of statements to include will be based on the frequency of occurrence from this open-ended survey question.
Discussion and Implications
Qualitative research is a useful approach to developing measures of employee attitudes. To the extent that differing reactions to words and phrases are related to differences in important employee behavior and outcomes, such as feedback seeking behavior, job stress, engagement, or turnover, this study serves as the basis for increased understanding of communication dynamics in the workplace. This increased understanding has implications for both theory and practice. For example, results from this study may contribute to the body of research on women and leadership, including factors that serve as barriers to women seeking leadership positions of greater responsibility. Women in general, as well as mentors and supervisors of women, may benefit from a greater understanding of what words create the most stress. Coaching for self-awareness, as well as leadership development relating to feedback, and encouragement of employee innovation and risk-taking behaviors, may prove to be useful mechanisms for incorporating the findings from our research.
References
Bloise, SM & Johnson MK 2007,‘Memory for emotional and neutral information: Gender and individual differences in emotional sensitivity’,Memory, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 192-204.
Dewhurst, SA, Anderson RJ Knott LM 2012,‘A gender difference in the false recall of negative words: women DRM more than men’,Cognition and Emotion, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 65-74.
Miles, MB & Huberman AM 1994, An expanded sourcebook: Qualitative data analysis, Sage Publishing, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Patton, QM 2002,Qualitative evaluation and research methods, 3rdedn. Sage, Newsbury Park.
Tannen, D 1994,Talking from 9 to 5: How women's and men's conversational styles affect who gets heard, who gets credit, and what gets done at work,Virago, London.