Cases of Cubicle Rash on the Rise!

Get out of the way, road rash. Here comes cubicle rash.

By Glen Simmons-Staves
September 10th, 2008 7:13 AM ET

More and more employees and employers are getting itchy, scratchy and irritable.

NEW YORK – Skin irritations in the workplace are becoming a greater annoyance every day. It’s shockingly common in today’s administrative centers and is likely growing as Americans cope with the poor economy and non-stop political coverage.
“It runs the gamut from simple light scratching to pretty extreme grating where pieces of skin are removed and streaks of blood begin to trickle out,” said Peter Sachiko, Professor of Industrial and Organizational Dermatology at the University of South Carolina. “The most severe cases are often fatal.”

"It runs the gamut from simple light scratching to pretty extreme grating where pieces of skin are removed and streaks of blood begin to trickle out,"

Nearly half of all workers in America report itching and scratching from time to time on the job, with roughly a quarter of those saying it has driven them to tears, research has shown.
Other research showed one-sixth of workers reported that their itching at work has led to skin damage and light bruising, while a tenth reported bleeding lesions and other self-inflicted wounds caused by excessive scraping-sometimes using pencils, pens and even letter openers.
“It’s a total disaster,” said Annabelle Martinez, author of “How to Reduce Skin Irritations in the Workplace.” “Rough clothing, industrial cleaners, athletic itch, people getting sweaty-we used to do our itching at home and in private because at work, we are supposed to be professional. Now it’s almost becoming acceptable to do it at work.”
“It was something we did behind closed doors,” she said. “Now people are losing their sense of embarrassment over it.”

88 percent of U.S. employees think they itch more at work than they used to.

“Rising stress over things like global warming and terrorism fan the flames,” said Jack Cresson, head of Indiana’ s Cresson, Smith, & Howard Workplace Consultants.
“People are coming to work after a long sweaty commute, sitting in traffic and feeling the sweat run down their backs. Some might be freaking out and desperate for a total scratch-fest,” he said.
Added to that, he said, because of the economy, there are many financially strapped workers having to cut back on calamine lotion, Gyne-Lotrimin, or even Micatin for some.
SAVE YOUR SCRATCHING UNTIL THE WEEKEND

“Cubicle rash extends across industry and class lines, from top white-collar jobs to gritty blue-collar work, and people pay dearly in terms of lost productivity, sagging morale and higher absenteeism,

Saving the itching until the weekend will not only feel really good, but it will give your body some time to recover throughout the week.
Sachiko said his research has found 2 to 3 percent of people admit to scratching, itching under their clothes or even rubbing up against their cubicle at work. With roughly 100 million people in the U.S. work force, he said, that’s as many as 3 million people.
Cresson said he conducted a seminar this week in rural Iowa, where he asked participants if they thought their workplace caused them to itch. Everyone raised their hands, he said, which is typically the response he gets. He cited research showing 88 percent of U.S. employees think they itch more at work than they used to.
SOCIAL SCRATCHING
“Many of us sense we’re losing the ability to stay off itching socially. The safety net is unraveling. Scratching and itching is skyrocketing,” he said.
People reassure themselves by “blaming a change in laundry detergent, fabric softener, or bath soap” and “find comfort in believing their suffering is simply caused by calluses, mosquito bites, or the shellfish they ate the night before,” he said.

"The worst cases end in some type of extreme violence,"

The worst offenders are the less patient, or those who are easily irritated, said Dr. Rachel Curtis, a workplace expert and social dermatologist. “The usual profile is those we call Type A. These are they that are quite smart, with impossibly high standards they set for themselves as well as for other people. “They are so invested, I would say maybe over-invested, in not having to itch. To make matters worse, they are easily irritated even if just someone in their office starts itching. Then there are those that are classified as Type B. These are they that can not stop itching. They completely lose their sense of perspective, and propriety. They will even scratch at other people that just look itchy,”
“Cubicle rash extends across industry and class lines, from top white-collar jobs to gritty blue-collar work, and people pay dearly in terms of lost productivity, sagging morale and higher absenteeism, said Curtis, author of “Scratching, its Not Just for Raffle Tickets Anymore.” “The worst cases end in some type of extreme violence,” she said.
“Somebody didn’t just come to work one day and scratch somebody else; there’s probably been a pattern of simple itching leading up to it.”