Top Workplace Frustrations & 4 Actions to Cope

Top Workplace Frustrations

Dread for the workweek is remarkably common. According to the FlexJobs Workplace Frustrations Report, which surveyed over 2100 US professionals across age groups and career levels, 57% of US workers experience the Sunday Scaries, and nearly a quarter (24%) get them every single week. The Sunday Scaries are the feelings of anxiety or dread that creep in on Sunday as the weekend winds down and the next workweek approaches. In other words, this is not a rare complaint limited to one type of employee; it shows up across age groups and career levels, from those just starting out to seasoned professionals.

The report also identifies the workplace activities workers most wish would disappear:

• Organized team-building activities – 26%
• Camera-on expectations for virtual meetings – 25%
• Meeting icebreakers – 21%
• Company happy hours – 18%
• Office small talk – 17%

Notice what these unpopular activities have in common: they all revolve around relating with others. That shared thread points to a useful starting place. Strengthening your communication and networking skills could help you cope with the very moments that make so many people cringe. Networking, in this sense, simply means building and maintaining relationships with the people around you, whether they sit on your team or in another department. Communication skills cover everything from introducing yourself clearly to keeping a conversation going when you would rather retreat to your desk.

Reframe Your Perception of Team-Building

Rather than reflexively cringe at team offsites, company socials and other team-building offerings, reframe your perception to find the good. Resolve to check your assumptions at the door and try to have a good time. Keep your focus on gratitude for your company’s investment in their staff. Start events and activities with colleagues in your support circle, and then expand your interactions once you’re more comfortable. Your support circle is the small group of colleagues you already trust and talk to regularly. By beginning with them, you lower the pressure of the event, and as you relax you can branch out to people you know less well.

Propose New Group Activities

If your company hosts cringeworthy events, propose something better. One company pairs an executive leader with entry- and mid-level staff for a small group dinner. This allows executives to hear directly from people they don’t normally work with and gives junior staff visibility and access to leadership. Hosting the event over dinner keeps it social and fun.

Another company starts every team meeting with shout-outs to various team members. The people getting praise feel acknowledged, and everyone is primed to think of good things to say in order to contribute something. A shout-out is a brief, public word of thanks or recognition, and because it opens the meeting, it sets a positive tone before the actual business begins.

Volunteer service, cross-functional case competitions and office cleanout swap meets are other examples of team-building activities. Volunteer service means giving time to a cause together, a cross-functional case competition has teams from different departments solve a shared problem, and a swap meet lets coworkers trade items they no longer want. Each option gives people something concrete to do together, which takes the focus off forced small talk.

Develop Personal Connections and Make It a Game

Friendships in the office make team-building less awkward. If you genuinely care about the people you’re with, meeting pleasantries, happy hours and small talk feel easier. Strengthen connections by actually taking your lunch break and eating with people, or keeping a basket of snacks at your desk so people come to you. Both moves create low-stakes chances to talk, which is how casual workplace friendships usually begin.

At a large company, focus on your connection to the company mission or the importance of your work to stay invested. Practice introducing yourself at meetings so you’re prepared and less anxious, and pick several upbeat questions to open conversations at company-wide events. Having a few questions ready in advance means you are not searching for words in the moment, and rehearsing your introduction makes it feel routine rather than risky.

Then make it a game with rewards. Give yourself points for speaking up in group meetings. Count how many people you interacted with socially, or times you took a break from work to socialize. Ding yourself when your eyes wander on a Zoom or you check your phone while someone else is speaking. Every month or quarter, treat yourself for improving how you cope. The scoring system works because it turns vague goals into something you can track, and the periodic reward gives you a reason to keep going.

This approach suits anyone who dreads the social side of work, whether the source is team-building events, camera-on calls, icebreakers, happy hours or everyday small talk. The next step is small and specific: pick one activity from the list above, reframe it, and start counting your points this week.