Resources to Help with Workplace Anger Issues

With the high stress of some positions, anger may present itself in unhealthy ways. Anger as an emotion is normal and healthy for anyone. It occurs as a reaction to something, and no one plans to have a bout of anger. One can define anger as a strong feeling with various stages, including, in order of magnitude: frustration, annoyance, anger, and rage.

Anger in the Workplace

Widely known among human resources professionals and I-O psychologists, stress, interpersonal conflicts, and things going wrong outside of our control may all contribute to feelings of any level of anger. Some people, due to a variety of reasons, including personality, mental health, exhaustion, physical pain, or a myriad of other circumstances, may exhibit negative or aggressive behaviors.

Most find it difficult to manage anger when they have angry behavior directed at them. The best course of action does not include reacting in the same manner — this will cause the situation to escalate. As difficult as it may sound, one can choose to respond in a healthy way as the best thing to do when faced with anger from another. Healthy responses include:

1. Removing yourself from a dangerous situation: a situation that challenges your physical or mental health requires you to distance yourself from the problem immediately. Do not engage if you encounter a dangerous situation. Do not risk your life, health, or mental wellbeing.
2. Taking a breath and relaxing: The human response to aggression includes preparing for “fight or flight,” where the circulatory, cardiovascular, and nervous systems jump into overdrive. If the situation does not present an immediate danger to physical or mental health, take a breath deep into your belly, hold it for 5–10 seconds, and let it go. Repeat this until you feel more in control.
3. Being assertive and not aggressive: If the angry behavior does not present danger, to stop the behavior, you can tell the person, “I do not like it when you take your anger out on me,” or, “When this happens, I feel like you are threatening me,” or, “The way I see it, you are not in control of your anger.”

One might find these difficult to remember in the moment of an anger situation. As with any skill, practice can help. Use a mirror or role play with a friend to practice your knowledge to gain skills and abilities in this discipline.

In other posts, we will discuss sources of anger, other ways to deal with one’s own anger or the anger of others, workplace aggression, and other related topics to help organizations maintain a safe workplace (DOL, 2016).

Resources for Workplace Anger Crises

Sometimes, workplace anger expressed or unmanaged by either oneself or by another calls for assistance. As social beings, we sometimes need help and support. The following resources may assist in abating a crisis situation with workplace anger (North American Learning Institute, 2023).

• Emergency: Call 9–1–1 on your phone or mobile device
• Local social service agency: Call 2–1–1 on you phone or mobile device or visit http://211.org/
• American Psychological Association (APA): The mission of APA is to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives. http://www.apa.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/AmericanPsychologicalAssociation | https://twitter.com/APA | 1–800–374–2721
• MentalHealth.gov: MentalHealth.gov provides one-stop access to U.S. government mental health and mental health problems information. http://www.mentalhealth.gov/ | http://www.facebook.com/Mentalhealth.gov | https://twitter.com/MentalHealthGov
• National Institute of Mental Health: NIMH envisions a world in which mental illnesses are prevented and cured. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/ | https://www.facebook.com/nimhgov | https://twitter.com/NIMHgov | 1–866–615–6464
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org | http://www.facebook.com/800273TALK | https://twitter.com/800273TALK | 1–800–273–8255
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): SAMHSA is the agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities. http://www.samhsa.gov/ | http://www.facebook.com/samhsa | https://twitter.com/samhsagov | 1–877–726–4727
• Alcoholics Anonymous: Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. http://www.aa.org/
• Narcotics Anonymous: Narcotics Anonymous is a global, community-based organization with a multi-lingual and multicultural membership that offers recovery from the effects of addiction through working a twelve-step program, including regular attendance at group meetings. http://www.na.org/
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): SAMHSA is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public-health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities. http://www.samhsa.gov/ | https://twitter.com/samhsagov | 1–877–726–4727
• National Child Abuse Hotline (Childhelp): Childhelp is a leading national non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and neglect. http://www.childhelp.org/ | http://www.facebook.com/childhelp | https://twitter.com/childhelp | 1–800–422–4453
• RehabNet has a national safety project to raise awareness about accredited substance abuse rehab: https://rehabnet.com
• Safe Horizon: Safe Horizon’s mission is to provide support, prevent violence, and promote justice for victims, their families and communities. http://www.safehorizon.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SafeHorizonNY | https://twitter.com/safehorizon | 1–800–621–4673
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH): NDVH provides lifesaving tools and immediate support to enable victims to find safety and live lives free of abuse. Callers to the hotline at can expect highly trained experienced advocates to offer compassionate support, crisis intervention information and referral services. http://www.thehotline.org/ | https://twitter.com/ndvh | 1–800–799–7233
• US Department of Justice: Listing of State Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions. http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/statedomestic.htm
• US Department of Justice: Office on Violence Against Women: The mission of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), a component of the US Department of Justice, is to provide federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence against women and administer justice for and strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/ | 1–202–307–6026

References

North American Learning Institute. (2023). Anger Management Class. https://courseforanger.com/

United States Department of Labor (DOL). (2016). Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) (29 USC §651 et seq.; 29 CFR Parts 1900 to 2400). https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/elg/osha.htm