The vast majority of office workers in the legal industry say they have experienced phone anxiety in the last 12 months, with 70% saying the anxiety was so bad it stopped them from answering the phone.
Younger office workers (18-34) experienced the most phone anxiety compared to other age groups.
While 79% of this age group said they experienced phone anxiety in the last year, 61% of 35-54-year-olds said the same.
And 61% of 55-74-year-olds said they’d experienced phone anxiety in the last 12 months.
The findings are part of a new report by telephone answering service provider Face For Business looking into the levels of phone anxiety among UK office workers.
250 office-based employees working for legal firms were surveyed by an independent researcher in June 2022 for the study.
Confrontation Among Top Fears Of Phone Calls
More than a quarter of the legal employees surveyed for this study said they experienced a general fear of phone calls.
Another 14% said they were anxious about customers becoming confrontational on the phone. In comparison, another 14% said they were most afraid of being overheard and judged by managers or colleagues for how they dealt with calls.
‘Extreme’ Anxiety A Real Problem
Perhaps more worrying than phone anxiety is so prominent in the legal industry, is the level of anxiety employees are experiencing.
According to FFB’s study, a third of employees report their anxiety between very and extremely anxious when faced with dealing with phone calls.
Speaking about the findings, the managing director of Face For Business Andy MacGregor, said:
“Most employees still deal with calls, especially in the legal sector, but it remains one of the most overlooked skills employees need. And our research has uncovered the result of underinvestment in phone training.
“It’s not surprising therefore that employees are experiencing such high levels of anxiety.
“If businesses expect employees to deal with phone calls, more investment needs to be made into training or external support to give employees more freedom and reassurance.”
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