{"id":16436,"date":"2021-09-20T09:42:14","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T09:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/?p=16436"},"modified":"2021-10-03T21:18:06","modified_gmt":"2021-10-03T21:18:06","slug":"venting-frustrated-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/flexible-workspace\/venting-frustrated-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Is it Okay to Vent at Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The days of having a quick rant at the water cooler are over. Today, most work chats happen online and can be easily seen or shared with others. In fact, three Netflix executives were fired earlier this year for complaining about colleagues on a Slack chat, sparking a widespread debate about venting at work.<\/p>\n

Some felt firing the execs was an extreme move, while others supported the decision, saying it\u2019s best to keep negative energy out of the workplace. Psychologists say that venting is healthy<\/a>, a coping mechanism that helps to reduce our stress levels. But constructive venting can sometimes spiral into toxic negativity.<\/p>\n

What is Venting Really?<\/span><\/h2>\n

This might be surprising to hear, but venting isn\u2019t the same thing as complaining. It\u2019s a brief expression of how you\u2019re feeling and a way to get the frustration off your chest, knowing the disappointment is temporary, and solutions can be found. Venting lets you blow off steam and get back to business feeling a bit better than before.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, complaining is chronic grumbling, negativity and gossip that leaves you and those around you feeling miserable and hopeless.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another key difference is that venting is a two-way process. It\u2019s not just about the person venting; it\u2019s about the person listening and commiserating. Work friends can support each other by taking turns to vent, listen and offer solutions. Complaining, however, is done for the sole benefit of the complainer, who will often spread negativity to anyone willing to listen or unable to escape! <\/span><\/p>\n

Notably, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos says that the firing was not due to harmless venting but rather because of behaviour against Netflix\u2019s company values. “These were critical, personal comments made over several months about their peers… including during meetings when those peers were talking or presenting,\u201d said Sarandos in a <\/span>LinkedIn statement<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

More than half of people (57.7%) in today\u2019s workplace agree that there is a significant difference between venting and complaining<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Does Venting Help?<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

In a word, yes! 34% of workers say that venting is \u201csomewhat effective\u201d as stress relief, and 32.9% find it \u201cvery effective\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Do We Vent About?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"What-do-we-vent-about-at-work---Instant-Offices<\/a><\/p>\n

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Who Do We Vent To?<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

A US survey covering companies large and small found that employees are most likely to vent to coworkers<\/a> about their frustrations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Around three-quarters (78.4%) of workers at mid-sized companies said they would talk to coworkers about their stress. Meanwhile, 39.3% said they would speak with a manager, and just 6.3% would go to HR. Overall, it seems that informal, spur-of-the-moment venting with a teammate is preferable to making a more formal complaint to a superior.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just in-office interactions that lend themselves to venting, either. While 60.8% of workers chose coworkers as their preferred in-office venting buddies, nearly half (46.9%) said they would do the same while working remotely. In both scenarios, management came second and HR a distant third.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Private are Your Private Messages?<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

With the recent dramatic rise in remote working<\/a>, many of us have become used to chatting with our coworkers online, using platforms like Slack, Teams, Telegram or Skype. Small talk, venting, and catch-up sessions can improve happiness and team connections, but employees need to avoid letting these sessions unravel into harmful and toxic conversations. <\/p>\n

Employers have the right to monitor your electronic workplace communications \u2013 including emails and private messages \u2013 provided you have been pre-warned about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

A rise in working from home has prompted more staff monitoring. The use of surveillance software has increased by 50%<\/a> since the pandemic started, and one in five<\/a> companies admit to monitoring their employees while they work from home.<\/p>\n

With this in mind, let\u2019s look at some guidelines for healthy workplace venting in the online space.<\/span><\/p>\n

Workplace Venting Do\u2019s & Don\u2019ts for Online Chats<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

A survey of the UK workplace in 2020 revealed the issues that are stressing workers out the most<\/a>. Issues around interpersonal relationships and communication crop up multiple times in the top 10:<\/span><\/p>\n