Anger in the workplace: Why do we do it?

I don't doubt that we have all either been in or have witnessed one-a massive, all out argument or fight between two people or parties. The statistics of anger being expressed in the workplace are pretty astounding. In a study in the United States nearly 1 in 4 of all employees suffered chronic anger on the job, (The Marlin Co. & Yale School of Management). In a five-year national workplace study, 28% said that they lost work time trying to avoid a bully, while 12% actually resigned their jobs to avoid the bullying instigator, (Christine Pearson, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill). English studies show similar results. 45% of Britons are reported as losing their temper at work and 64% of Britons working in an office have had office rage.

So from where is all this anger emanating? And how do we handle it? When I look deeper into this subject I see some differences in the types of anger being expressed.

Situational Anger: Each of us faces situations in which we naturally can feel frustrated and angry. In these instances of situational anger, it is a healthy thing to express and not supress that anger.  This may include our owning up to ourselves how we are feeling in such a way as to not offend others around us. It is about sharing "I" statements so as to release negative feelings. Anger that has been left unexpressed or dealt with can create major problems for a workplace as it increases the level of stress and can eventually explode or implode. High stress levels have a direct correlation to higher levels of absenteeism and to high staff turnover. So completely suppressing our anger and frustration is not helpful.

At the same time, it is best to work through anger as quickly as possible because ongoing anger issues may affect productivity. Remember the last time that you were really angry? How hard was it to think clearly and to remain focussed on the facts? It is only when the anger has subsided that there is the capacity to restore rationality.

Anger as an escape mechanism: It has been said before that the best form of defense is attack. There are a group of people who hope to escape from criticism, scrutiny or difficult emotions and who use anger as their tool of escape. This may sound contradictory but when someone is communicating anger the first instinct of those on the receiving end is to step back to protect ourselves from the onslaught. When we step back then the angry person receives some respite from examination. If someone in your office/workplace is being angry on an ongoing basis it is worthwhile making a determination as to whether they are coping with their work.

Anger as a punishment or a motivator: Some management staff may have the misguided notion that they can motivate staff through the use of anger when mistakes are made. As an example of this type of anger, we see it frequently illustrated in sports-based movies where the infuriated coach gets fierce to motivate his team and then they all go out a win the match against all odds. Such a commonly held belief is misguided because anger tends to either incite corresponding anger or withdrawal of staff members. It is the stuff movies are made of but not so much reality.

Anger as an attempt to emotionally manipulate: Where anger in the worplace becomes an even greater problem is when that anger is directed as a weapon against someone or against the organization in a destructive way. We may not realize it consciously but where debate and anger are brought together in an argument in the workplace then there is an attempt to persuade the other side of the rightness of our         position with an emotional force that is intended to manipulate and even to force our viewpoint. This type of anger is a blatant attempt to control another person.

When discussion based on expressing facts, thoughts and respectful listening is infused with angry emotion there is a message, "Either you believe me or I will be hurt, angry and/or offended." Alternatively, there is the message, "How dare you think differently than I do?" Behind this is a false principle that we have the right and the capacity to change a person and their thinking/behavior by the force of our emotional rhetoric. This premise is fundamentally flawed because people can only change themselves. They will only change as much as they allow themselves to be influenced by our reasoning or by our emotions.

If you experience or see others in  anger in our workplace put on your analytical hat and ask yourself what is going on behind the anger. It is much easier to respond appropriately if we understand the underlying reasoning.