Have you ever been in a meeting when an employee “lost” it and either went on a tirade or got up and slammed out of the room? If you ever have encountered an employee who has a burst of anger at work, you understand the impact of those behaviors. It is everyone’s responsibility to act and communicate in a professional, nonthreatening way.
There can be a fine line between someone being angry and showing strong emotions and someone crossing the line and potentially causing harm to another person. As employers, we are responsible to provide a safe work environment, control the behaviors of our employees and teach how to deal with anger in the workplace.
So what should managers do?
Here are some simple things you can do to prepare to respond to employee anger issues in the workplace.
Have a Policy In Place on Behavior Expectations.
This is a written policy on the “how we do things around here”. Basically the dos and don’ts of acting and communicating in the work place. This should include training on how to professionally respond to other employees if angry.
Set Expectations and Train Employees
Some people don’t have natural skills on how to respond to others when angry or how to control their emotions in a professional environment. It is important to set those expectations and train on appropriate behaviors. Employee training should always have a signed document acknowledging the training for the employee file.
Train on How to Respond
Train employees on what to do if they feel threatened by another employee. They should know when to speak up and who to go to for help. They should have a good understanding of the process to get the situation resolved.
Confront Inappropriate and Threatening Behavior
With the increasing number of news reports of violence in the workplace, it is important to address potential situations immediately. Sometimes this can be a coaching moment and a time to teach on what is and is not acceptable behavior.
Document Incidents
When an employee acts inappropriately and is confronted about their behavior, it is important to document the incident for the files. This should include the date, time, persons involved, persons present and a brief description of the scenario that led up to the incident as well as a summary of the incident and how it was resolved.
Have A Zero Tolerance Policy
There should be no excuse and no exception for any employee doing physical harm to another. A zero tolerance policy allows you to quickly terminate the relationship and remove the employee from the work environment. Use your HR professionals to help you navigate through this process.
Don’t Ignore and Act Quickly
Sometimes it feels easier to ignore conflict situations because we think it is an outlier and a onetime event. But when it comes to anger or violence in the workplace, it is critical that all incidents are acknowledged and acted on quickly.
Other thoughts
- If an employee does not feel safe at work, they will likely be not as productive and will be distracted with any perceived threat.
- As with anything else, if an employee acts out and is not confronted, they are being sent a message that it is OK and will probably do it again.
- Act on your gut instincts and get professional help with these types of situations.
- Intervention with an anger management counselor is sometimes helpful to employees you feel are worth salvaging.
- Decisions should be made with the better good of all in mind and can be difficult with people who there is a relationship with.
