Fear in the Workplace

This article seeks to acknowledge fear as a strong presence in the workforce by identifying from whence it comes. It further seeks to offer clarity on how individuals respond to fear in the workplace. For this research, a sample of 776 employees were posed 19 questions which were measured on a Likert-type scale. The questionnaire was developed by the authors in the absence of any such measurement tool which blatantly asks employees what makes them fearful in their place of work. Distributions of the sample covered entry level, supervisor level, manager level, and senior manager level. Results indicate that concerns over the opinion of their direct supervisor and the fear of being fired or laid off are the primary fears of employees. Further analysis indicates additional categories or clusters of fear. This research recommends that manager–subordinate relationships and communication must improve to foster an open environment which reduces the instances of fear.