At any given time, the average American worker is holding 23.4 grudges against colleagues – up 70 percent from just five years ago.
“Keeping track of workplace grudges is one of the top seven stressors in the business world today,” says Kate Tinley, CEO of app developer Testapran. Her company’s phone app, Animusness, aims to relieve some of the stress by making grudges easier to manage.
“When you’re holding a lot of grudges, it’s only natural to forget about some of them,” she says. “That’s the last thing you want to happen.”
Animusness tracks business grudges in 170 categories – people who won promotions over who, gave you funny looks, bumped into you without saying “excuse me” and stole your potato salad from the work refrigerator (there are separate categories for green beans and tuna casserole.
“We also place the grudges in categories, with one being the most severe,” says Tinley. “This way people will know whether they need to nurse them every day, every week, or just once or twice a year.”
Introduced just six months ago, Animusness has produced thousands of satisfied customers – some of whom have actually been able to increase the number of grudges they’re holding
“A year ago I had 35 and almost forgot about the accountant who laughed at my socks,” says Lee Wisson, a San Diego cost approximist. “Today I have 49 and know exactly where I am with every one of them.”
Available from Testapran, the app can be downloaded for $1499.
