Managing Anger in the Workplace

Employees with short fuses and managers who don’t know how to deal with them can be costly to a company.

Not only does anger contribute to health problems, it hinders productivity, according to a newsletter published by RainmakerThinking Inc., a New Haven, Conn.-based recruitment and consulting firm.

It’s a good idea to reprimand employees who are prone to yelling to avoid disruptions that harm job performance, workplace anger expert Donald Gibson said in the newsletter.

At the same time, managers should foster an environment in which appropriate expressions of anger are accepted.

And if a subordinate blows up, managers should listen carefully, withhold judgments, investigate the source of the rage and do something to resolve it.