Demoralized and Victimized Workers Hesitant to Leave Their Jobs

"Victimized": That's the only word that adequately describes your current work situation. Despite your best attempts to befriend your coworkers, they always conveniently leave you out of every group lunch and happy hour. Plus, your boss treats you with extreme disdain and continually passes you up for promotions. In fact, it has become so bad that you actually dread going to work and suffer from stress-related headaches. But, has it become so bad that you're actually looking for a new job? Not quite.

According to a new study conducted by researchers at Kansas State (K-State) University, many workers would rather stay in hostile environments than seek employment elsewhere. Case in point: 45 percent of employees who report regular victimization by their coworkers and supervisors have no intention of leaving their jobs. Also, despite the constant emotional abuse they endure, 59 percent of respondents said that they either liked or "did not dislike" their jobs. A sign of the failing economy and workers' lower career expectations? Not so, says Ron Downey, PhD, a psychology professor at K-State.

Since the research took place before the economic downturn, something else explained this phenomenon. Downey's take: People would rather work in an oppressive environment than exert themselves to find a new job. "They might like their job, just not certain elements of it," he says. "That really surprised us; that people weren't ready to jump ship. We talk about the new workplace where people don't stay at the same job forever, but getting a job is difficult and people don't like to do it."

The Power of Exclusion

Another interesting finding is that employees are just as affected by hostile coworkers as they are by oppressive managers. Going against conventional wisdom, this discovery could have strong implications for organizations worldwide. "You would think that hostility from a supervisor would cause more worry, but it didn't here," Downey says. "Many people still thought that their supervisor was helpful and were no less satisfied with [him or her]."

What's more, Downey found that people who encounter exclusion-based hostility (Read: Inviting everyone but one person to lunch) report the greatest dissatisfaction. Some examples of this behavior include being chastised in front of others, having your ideas scoffed at or ignored, and being excluded from workplace activities. On the other hand, interfering hostility - being the victim of gossip or equipment sabotage - seemed to have less of an impact on workers.

Bullied and Beaten Down

Let's face it: Offices are chock full of bullies who single out their coworkers like dodge-ball targets. I should know - I encountered an office bully at my last job. Despite what I said or did, our receptionist, Jennifer*, found fault in it... and let the entire office know. For months, I racked my brain to figure out why she hated me so much. Was it my mannerisms? Was it my outgoing personality? Was it something as trivial as the way I dressed?

My coworkers told me that she was just jealous and that I should ignore her. But, after Jennifer intentionally lied to my boss to get me into trouble, the hostility became more apparent. In the end, Jennifer's boss stepped in to mediate the situation and made her apologize to me. However, this only served to fuel her fire of resentment toward me.

Fortunately, I had many other office allies who agreed that Jennifer's opinion of me was seriously skewed. But, had I been all alone and without anyone to turn to, I imagine that it would've been enough to make me consider quitting my job. However, like many of the survey respondents, I enjoyed my job and would've had to weigh my options heavily.

Up for Discussion

Does this research surprise you? Have you ever worked in a hostile environment but refused to leave your job? Please share your reactions to this study with the OfficeArrow community.