The High Costs of Anger in the Workplace

Leroy was a superstar in the Real Estate business, producing three times the monthly business of his nearest coworker. He was a driven, highly competitive young man who saw his manager as getting in the way of even higher production. Tension turned to irritability. Yelling and shouting followed. On the day he was fired, he shoved his manager in front of alarmed coworkers who reported his behavior to HR. Anger management classes were required, along with a one month interim, before reinstatement would be considered.

As this case example illustrates, workplace anger is costly to the employee, the company, and coworkers. Studies show that up to 42% of employee time is spent engaging in or trying to resolve conflict. This results in wasted employee time, mistakes, stress, lower morale, hampered performance, and reduced profits and or service.

In fact, in 1993 the national Safe Workplace Institute released a study showing that workplace violence costs $4.2 billion each year, estimating over 111,000 violent incidents. Further, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 500,000 victims of violent crime in the workplace lose an estimated 1.8 million workdays each year.

Clearly, poorly handled anger, frustration and resentment sabotage business productivity. Was Leroy justified in his anger? What skills should he learn to prevent future episodes? What could management have done to better handle the situation?

Skill 1– Anger Management

Using anger management skills, Leroy can clearly learn to control his behavior and communicat e needs in a socially acceptable manner without disruptions to work and morale. The issue here is not if he was justified in being angry; it is how to best deal with normal angry feelings. A key ingredient to managing anger is learning to change “self-talk”-- that internal dialog that creates or intensify angry feelings.

From a management perspective, proper anger management skills can enhance conflict resolution, promote personal growth in the employee, reduce employee stress and promote increased workplace harmony.

Skill 2– Stress management.

Leroy was clearly under a great deal of stress, much of which was self-imposed. Stress often triggers anger responses.

Learning to effectively deal with stress can help prevent anger outbursts, as well as reducing employee “burnout” and hampered performance.

Managers should be alert to stressed employees and recommend help, before things get out of hand. In many companies, HR or EAP (employee assistance professionals) can provide you with resources and referrals.

Skill 3– Emotional Intelligence.

Popularized by psychologist Daniel Goleman, much research shows that increasing “EQ” is correlated with emotional control and increased workplace effectiveness.

What is “EQ” exactly? According to Goleman, it is “the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.”

Fortunately, skills to improve your emotional intelligence can be learned by both employees and management. The benefit is increased understanding of yourself and others which directly relates to increased productivity and workplace harmony.

Skill 4– Assertive Communication.

Communication problems frequently lead to misunderstandings, conflicts with coworkers and hurt feelings which may hamper concentration and work performance.

Assertiveness is not aggression, but a way to communicate so that others clearly understand your needs, concerns, and feelings. It starts with the familiar advice to use “I” statements instead of “you” statements which can sound accusatory, and may lead to defensiveness instead of cooperation.

Other communication improvements include acknowledging the concerns and feelings of others in your interaction with them. And, being more sensitive to what others are saying to you “beneath the surface.”

Skill 5– Forgiveness

While sometimes workplace anger is manifest in “exploding.” other times it is born of grievances held by employees over any number of workplace issues. Much research shows that learning to forgive and let go of the wrongs done to you can release your anger and resentment. This, in turn, may improve your health, and help you focus on your job instead of your negative feelings.
Is “forgiveness” easy? Of course not. Nor does it mean that you think that whatever happened to you was right, or that you have to like the offending person. What it does mean is “letting go” of the negative feelings you now experience when you remember an negative experience or you encounter the offending person.

by Dr. Tony Fiore

If we could create a fantasy world where stress could somehow be changed into a stock that could be traded on the New York Stock Exchange, imaginary stockbrokers across the country would be screaming for their make-believe clients to buy, buy, buy!  And since there seems to be a constant upward motion where stress is involved with more of it being generated constantly, a lot of pretend people in this daydream example would be making stacks of fantasy money. Come to think of it, there is no better example of emotional energy and stress than the floor of the Exchange when a hot stock is on the market.

In the real world, there is far too much stress in our lives, so we're always on the lookout for ways to reduce stress and its effects. Anger classes, anger workshops, and anger training are increasingly popular options for those who can't control their anger on their own.

Going back to a fantasy world again, if stress is a hissing snake, then by comparison anger is a fire-breathing dragon. That analogy holds in the real world, too. Far too many people buy into the notion that anger is an involuntary reaction, but those who teach the anger management classes and anger workshops know better. They teach people ways to get control of their anger. That's because either people control their anger, or it controls them, which is destructive for society as a whole.

Anger classes and anger workshops do not teach how to suppress feelings that lead to anger, but they do explain and demonstrate ways to recognize the warning of signs. Knowledge is power, and knowing how to how to recognize the warning signs of anger is the first step in gaining more control over it. Anger classes and anger workshops also use therapeutic exercises such as deep breathing, meditation, and relaxation techniques help people manage the grudges, resentments and trapped emotions that feed anger.

A relatively new development that is proving to be extremely beneficial in this area is online anger management workshops. The online anger management workshops teach the same information on managing stress and controlling anger as traditional classes do, but the online classes do so using approaches and methods especially designed for online education. Online anger management workshops also provide facilitators to help with questions and issues about the online features---a good way to reduce stress for people who are new to online learning. Consider an online anger management workshop to get you started down the path to self-knowledge, self-control, and happier times ahead

Anger Management Online Class

"An addiction is anything you do that keeps you from dealing with your feelings.' You may not think that statement (source unknown) hits a home run, but you pretty much have to agree it's at least in the ballpark.

People can be quite creative in finding ways to suppress their feelings: street drugs, alcohol, prescription drugs, overeating, temper tantrums, and on and on.  A major source of negative feelings that people don't want to deal with is stress.
We are all too familiar with the common causes: our chaotic schedules, frustrations at work and home, prolonged unemployment and economic concerns in general. Add to these the lack of skills to manage stress, and it's a short path from major stress to unbridled anger. But help is available, and where there's help there's hope. Our Anger management online class offers both help and hope because we teach the skills, practices and techniques to control anger.

No one denies that uncontrolled anger is bad not only for emotional, but also for physical health. The professionals who design and teach our anger management online class start by explaining why uncontrolled anger is such a serious problem for the person who displays it, and for the people who are the victims of it. The classes also feature an array of helpful activities: relaxation therapies, meditation techniques, and ways to improve self-esteem and to avoid pessimistic feelings. These classes also give participants a platform for speaking up about their concerns, but perhaps the most valuable thing the anger management classes offer participants is access to expert help.

Agencies and organization that offer traditional anger management online classes are also reaching out to the generation(s) that stay glued to the Internet with our anger management online class. Our anger management online class, like the traditional ones, have been designed after thorough study research about anger and its implications. Add to that the flexibility of being able do the coursework any time of the day or night  and at any place where your computer can access the Internet, and it's easy to see why our anger management online class is so popular.

Everyone gets angry from time to time, but when the degree and frequency increase to the point that your anger interferes with your ability to work, carry out family responsibilities, and maintain your self esteem, you would be wise to seek out the help that is available. Don't get stuck in a rut of anger, when online anger management classes can make such a positive difference.