The NATCA Insider, the official “electronic” newsletter of the National Air Traffic Controllers association, is published weekly and circulated to several thousand controllers and other FAA-employed safety professionals throughout the country. The following appeared in their September 4, 2009 issue:
ATC Daily Stresses and Negative Workplace Relations Discussed in New Book “Consequential Strangers: The Power of People that Don’t Seem to Matter…But Really Do”
In the new book, ”Consequential Strangers: The Power of People that Don’t Seem to Matter…But Really Do,” author Melinda Blau discusses the Consequential Strangers that we are faced with every day and how they affect us. These are our neighbors, people we know from the gym, the guys we play poker with, our kids’ teachers, and yes, our fellow air traffic controllers. Blau explains that it is from these assorted characters in our life that we learn new information, enjoy novel experiences, and hear about new opportunities.
Most Consequential Strangers are positive relationships, because we can choose to walk away when they’re not. But, there are times when we can’t, and this can impact both our mood and our health. It is for this reason that Blau chooses to interview ATC’s, in the hopes of finding out what it’s like to be trapped in a control room with someone you don’t like or respect. As Blau puts it, “even on a good day, the task of monitoring a precisely choreographed ballet of aircraft is extremely stressful. It requires unremitting concentration.”
So what happens when you are forced to deal with a negative coworker, or in our case, a fellow ATC or supervisor on duty? Through this book, we follow Psychologist Rena L. Repetti as she monitors the daily stress of 52 air traffic controllers at a major international airport. They fill out questionnaires regarding their workplace interactions, including how they feel about the exchanges and any physical symptoms that occur.
On pages 171-175, two of NATCA’s very own, Chuck Adams (GFK) and Mike Patterson (EVV) help Blau answer her question on negative relationships, resulting in the conclusion that these types of relationships can not only affect your health, but your behavior after work as well.
Unlike runways and airspace, coworker situations don’t allow for much control. On page 173, Adams is quoted saying this: “You depend on the other person to watch your back. If another controller does something to you or talks badly about you behind your back, it breaks that confidence, and there’s a feeling of animosity that can really affect your job.” As Patterson explains during the study, a less competent coworker can add to the workload, just as a nasty supervisor can effect how you act even after you leave your place of work. In fact, the study even shows a difference in behavior when it comes to female controllers and how they treat their children at the end of the day.
“Consequential Strangers” is known to change the way you see your social landscape and can even help you reexamine those relationships you take for granted. Adams, who describes the book as “an amazing read” says, “It has completely changed the way I look at people I don’t really know but deal with everyday — from the pilot that flies through the airspace regularly to the gas station attendant.”
Interested in “Consequential Strangers: The Power of People Who Don’t Seem to Matter…But Really Do”? You can preview it at www.consequentialstrangers.com or buy a copy now at Amazon.com. Facebook users, check out the Consequential Strangers page online!