One-in-Five Workers Describe Workplace as 'Scary' in Annual Halloween Survey

Think you need to head to a haunted house to get spooked this Halloween? Think again – some workers report that you don’t even have to leave work to get your fill of fright. According to CareerBuilder’s Halloween survey conducted among more than 4,000 workers, nearly one-in-five (18 percent) workers describe their workplace as scary.

Some workers think their workplace is scary because their bosses bear a strong resemblance to famous Halloween characters. When asked which popular characters best reflect their boss’s behavior, workers said the following:

• Glenda the Good Witch, liked and respected by all (20 percent);

• The Wolf Man, is fine one minute, howling the next (11 percent);

• The Invisible Man, never around (10 percent);

• Casper the Friendly Ghost, eager to help, but often misunderstood (9 percent);

• Dracula, constantly sucking the life right out of you (6 percent);

• Wicked Witch of the West, always acting conniving and sending out minions to do his/her dirty work (5 percent);

• The Mummy, slow-moving and has an ancient thought process (4 percent);

• Grim Reaper, constantly delivers bad news and inspires fear among workers (3 percent); and

• Frankenstein, green with envy (1 percent).

In addition to spooky bosses, when asked what the scariest part of their job was, workers reported the following fear-inducing activities:

• Workload (18 percent);

• Performance reviews (9 percent);

• Tight deadlines (9 percent);

• Hours worked (8 percent);

• Meeting with their boss or supervisor (7 percent); and

• Sitting through meetings (6 percent).

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Reprinted with permission. © CCH
(Posted Oct. 2009)