Work Phobias: Are you facing one of these?

Bangalore: 'Ergophobia'. Ever heard of this word? It means ' fear of work'. Yes there are people who fear their work at workplace. But you might have not spotted this in you or among others as it is not very evident among everyone and is exhibited in very mild forms. A full-fledged fear of work is very rare and can be debilitating.

Workplace phobia can be stated when an actual or imagined confrontation with the workplace or certain stimuli at the workplace (persons, objects, situations, events) causes a prominent anxiety reaction in a person.

Here is a list of few common phobias that people face at a workplace:

1. Fear of Superiors/ Boss- Bossophobia:

One of the worst circumstances, though, is meeting people who are "authority figures". Especially people such as bosses and supervisors at work, but including almost anyone who is seen as being "better" than they are in some respect. People with social anxiety may get a lump in their throat and their facial muscles may freeze up when they meet this person. The anxiety level is very high and they're so focused on "not failing" and "giving themselves away" that they don't even remember what was said in the conversation. But later on, they're sure they must have said the wrong thing.

2. Fear of making decesions-Decidophobia:

Some individuals can suffer from a fear of making decisions, making it virtually impossible to perform at their occupations.The fear of
creating or making decisions is decidophobia.

3. Fear of new workplace-Centophobia:

Someone with a fear of work, for example, might feel withdrawn from a new workplace because of a preexisting fear of strangers. Others may be f
earful of social situations, or even people in general at a new workplace. The fear of how he/she will be accepted by strangers and how he/she will find the comfort zone in office will become a very important issue and they repeatdly think over it which further develops into a fear or aversion.

4.Fear of failure-Atychiphobia:

A fear of work might also be the result of more internal issues. Atychiphobia, a fear of failure, often contributes to the development of ergophobia. Severe perfor
mance anxiety, on the other hand, can make work unbearable for those who feel that whatever tasks they accomplish yield inadequate results.

5.Fear of Public speaking

Glossophobia:is one of the most commonly reported social fears. While some people may feel nervous about giving a speech or presentation, if you have social anxiety disorder (SAD), the anxiety related to public speaking may take over your life. You may worry weeks or months in advance of a speech or presentation, and you will probably have extreme physical symptoms during a performance such as shaking, blushing, a pounding heart, quivering voice, and shortness of breath.


Now coming to the treatment of these phobias, therapists say it is nearly impossible to treat workplace phobias as they can seldom analyse or predict workplace situations. Many mental health experts opt to place the phobic in controlled workplace settings specifically chosen to be similar to those in which the patient's problems seemed to have occurred. These 'working trials' seem to have produced successful results.

But many therapists suggest that since these phobias are in mild forms, they can be corrected by self-help and motivational exercises or some kinds of therapy, that is by practising different or creative ways to handle situations at office. It will build the resistance power and also will help them find they way back to find out what actually instigated the problem initially. Regardless, if left untreated or unaddressed, this disorder only intensifies and creates a more adverse situation for the sufferer.