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White-collar ‘Mr. and Ms. Misfit’(2)

2011-11-01 14:46    Ecns.cn     Web Editor: Xu Aqing
Many of the polled office workers admitted feeling uneasy when joining group activities in the workplace. Instead, they prefer working alone.

Many of the polled office workers admitted feeling uneasy when joining group activities in the workplace. Instead, they prefer working alone.

Reaction to pressure

Experts ascribed such a dysfunction to the pressures in workplace. It reveals a negative mental status in a considerable number of white-collar workers.

This assertion has been partly confirmed in the survey. 37.5% of those in the "autism group" believe it was caused by pressure, 21.88% gave the answer of competition, while 6.25% blamed finding the wrong job. Only 34.88% admitted having the trouble due to an introverted personality.

It can also be seen as a behavior to escape social interaction, mostly because workers get tired of the current job, according to Zhu Meiyun, a senior psychological consultant.

This mentality to avoid social interaction revealed an eagerness to earn the credibility yet fear to meet any possible setbacks, Zhu pointed out. It's particularly the case with new employees.

New employees are expected by their bosses and coworkers to have humility, which perfectly suits the cultural preference for Confucius doctrine in the country. They are required to be qualified for the job, but not to act too well; they are supposed to dive into the social life of the company, but not to get too involved; and, they are allowed to ask questions, but not harsh ones. All in all, there is a thin line to walk when working in China.

Given the cultural atmosphere, Zhu suggested that it wasn't a bad idea to actively communicate with coworkers via the Internet. After awhile, when one gets familiar with the job and also the interpersonal connections in the company, it is recommended to jump into more group activities. Remember, always get involved with the job, not the people, indicated the newspaper.