Managing Workplace Anger and Stress: Finding Calm Under Pressure
Work can be incredibly frustrating at times, making managing anger at work a challenge.
Perhaps it’s simple things like attending yet another pointless meeting that could have been an email. Or, maybe it’s the fact that you’ve watched less-qualified people get promoted while you get passed over again.
However, if you’re struggling to manage your anger or it’s negatively affecting your work or life in general, you may be struggling with anger management issues.
If you’re dealing with workplace anger and stress or know someone who is, it can be helpful to understand the causes and learn evidence-based strategies for management. We explore these below.
Is Workplace Anger a Problem?
Here’s the thing: feeling angry isn’t necessarily the problem. Anger is a normal, human, and even healthy emotion when identified and managed constructively.¹ But the problems start when you can’t control it, or it’s not appropriate for the situation at hand, as it can negatively impact your job, relationships, and even health over the long term.²
Long-term anger can alter your heart rate, blood pressure, and immunity levels.³ These changes make your body more prone to headaches, anxiety, depression, heart disease, diabetes, and other medical conditions.⁴ Over 19% of U.S. adults even report losing sleep over unresolved anger issues.⁵
From an organizational point of view, studies show that 45% of employees regularly lose their temper at work.⁶ In comparison, 65% of workers have experienced office rage, which is extreme anger or violence. Such workplace anger can contribute to decreased productivity, lost person-hours, and a toxic office environment.
What’s Really Causing Your Workplace Anger?
We can feel angry for many different reasons, but it is usually set off by some form of emotional hurt.⁷ It’s an unpleasant feeling that shows up when we think we’ve been mistreated or feel as though the odds are constantly stacked against us. Anger can also happen when we feel like our deep-seated beliefs and views are being challenged.
In the workplace, anger can be caused by a range of different factors:
- Work-related Stress: Work stress can be caused by unrealistic deadlines or being given a bigger workload than you can handle. It can also be triggered by poor communication as you struggle to know what’s expected from you. Alternatively, you may feel like your boss is constantly watching over your shoulder, also known as ‘micromanagement.” Each of these situations may cause you to feel like you’ve little control over your work.
- Unfair Treatment: Unfair treatment can look like your boss showing preferential treatment for someone else – despite you bringing the same skills to the table. It could also be being discounted for promotions while less-qualified people excel. Additionally, discrimination or harassment can make for a highly toxic workplace environment.
- Lack of Recognition: Not feeling valued or recognized for efforts in general can make anyone feel frustrated – let alone when it’s your management team. If you perceive this to be a pattern in the workplace, it can lead to chronic anger issues.
- Conflicts With Team Members: Conflicts are a normal part of the workplace, but they don’t lead to long-term anger if they’re managed effectively. However, if you have to deal with colleagues who are passive-aggressive, disrespectful, hostile, or who show bullying behaviors, then anger can become an issue.
- External Stressors: Factors outside your work environment, such as arguments with a loved one or money troubles, can bleed into the workplace and potentially lead to struggles with balancing emotions.
Signs and Symptoms of Workplace Anger Issues
There are several signs of workplace anger issues to watch out for:
Behavioral and Emotional Indicators:
These include frequent outbursts, signs of intense irritability and frustration, sarcastic comments, and passive-aggressive behaviors (such as intentionally not meeting a critical deadline).⁸
Physical Symptoms:
Signs of anger in the body can manifest as clenched fists, tightened muscles, visible tension on the face, trembling, and rapid breathing. Changes to the skin, such as flushing or sweating, can also indicate anger.
Changes to Team Dynamics:
If team members are struggling with anger issues in the workplace, they might find it hard to concentrate and lose focus as their energy is being diverted from completing tasks. They may also find working with other team members difficult.9,10
In other words, unaddressed workplace anger can result in a toxic environment, reducing team productivity and morale. This environment can lead to high staff turnover, as team members may prefer to work elsewhere due to barriers preventing them from engaging with their work.
The Cost of Workplace Anger and Stress
Recent statistics discussing the impact of anger in the workplace highlight some startling information:10
- Anger-related issues cost U.S. businesses roughly $64 billion annually in lost productivity.
- Workplace violence, which is often the result of workplace anger, costs businesses 1.8 million lost workdays each year.
Over and above the impacts on organizations, employees who struggle with chronic workplace anger can experience long-term health challenges, including anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure.
How Anger Affects Productivity and Team Dynamics
The long-term effects of anger in the workplace, unsurprisingly, can cause team morale and productivity to nosedive.
Team morale can be impacted as team members may go to extreme lengths to avoid the “angry co-worker” and confrontations. This avoidance can result in a high number of sick days, as well as an increase in employee turnover rates – not ideal when businesses are trying to build a collaborative workforce.
The strain on workplace relationships caused by anger issues in the workplace can affect productivity as team members might struggle to focus on tasks, find motivation a challenge, and feel too overwhelmed to think creatively. All of these issues can financially impact an organization.
Beyond the financial costs of reduced productivity, lost person-hours, and replacing workers who resign, being known as a “toxic” workplace can impact a business’s reputation. As a result, having a negative online presence can make it harder for such businesses to hire “top talent.”
Long-Term Effects of Anger at Work
The long-term effects of anger at work can impact careers, relationships, and health.
Careers can be impacted by frequent outbursts of anger and frustration, as employers may think twice about giving someone with these issues more responsibilities or considering them for a promotion. Additionally, severe anger issues in the workplace could lead to job loss and financial problems.
If colleagues and employers start to recognize someone as having anger issues, it can damage team relationships – and winning back trust and respect can take a lot of time and effort. People who experience anger issues in the workplace also often take it home, affecting their relationships with those who matter most.
Whether anger at work is caused by workload, unfair treatment, or other issues, it can lead to chronic stress. Chronic stress isn’t just bad for peoples’ careers; it can show up as physical discomfort, such as headaches or stomach aches, and can also lead to long-standing health problems, like high blood pressure and insomnia.
Effectively Managing Anger at Work—Evidence-Based Strategies
Quick fixes for controlling workplace anger and providing immediate relief include:
- Practicing focused breathing for 10 minutes to help you refocus and calm your mind. Try breathing in through your nose for four seconds and out through your mouth for eight.
- Taking a 10-second pause before you react in the heat of the moment. Count the seconds in your mind to distract yourself from your emotions.
- Removing yourself temporarily from the trigger situation changes your environment and perspective. Even better, take a walk outside.
Workplace Anger Management Tips—Long-Term Solutions
While quick fixes are great, long-term strategies for dealing with workplace conflict and anger are ideal. These strategies help put you in the driver’s seat so you can manage situations head-on instead of spiraling out of control.
- Work on improving your communication skills: Good communication skills can help prevent conflicts from starting or escalating. Aim to set clear expectations and express your emotions constructively.
- Develop your emotional intelligence and stress tolerance: Identify your triggers and work on responding appropriately. Use the 10-second pause technique to think before you speak.
- Establish clear boundaries: Learn when it’s OK to say “no” to unreasonable demands and expectations – and practice doing so.
- Build a supportive work environment: Surround yourself with a circle of like-minded colleagues. And remember: Trust is a two-way street. So, aim to provide your colleagues with the trust you expect in return.
- Practice mindfulness techniques and relaxation exercises: Making deep breathing, mindfulness, or exercises such as yoga a part of your day-to-day life can offset stress and anger before they become an issue.
Therapy Options for Workplace Anger—Seeking Professional Help
It’s normal to feel overwhelmed when dealing with anger at the workplace. Yet you might not know how or where to start improving – or what kind of help you should seek. If this sounds like you, you’re not alone.
You don’t always have to figure things out by yourself. Therapy for workplace anger can support you in building understanding and knowledge, ensuring you have the right tools for controlling your emotions.
Several therapeutic approaches have proven to be beneficial for anger management:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT for workplace stress and anger involves identifying the thoughts that trigger anger and replacing them with more realistic and reasonable ones. Using various techniques, your therapist will work with you to become aware of and modify such thoughts.¹¹
Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral therapy identifies and changes the behaviors that happen when you get angry. This form of therapy can help you learn healthier ways to cope and react to workplace anger.
Stress Management Therapy
Stress management therapy for workplace anger involves learning new skills, such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation, to help you manage stress more effectively.
Workplace Conflict Resolution Therapy
A therapist trained in this area can help you learn healthier ways of managing workplace conflicts to prevent anger from taking hold or escalating.
Executive Coaching for Anger Control
An organization’s success can entirely rest on its leaders’ ability to manage stress and anger. Anger control strategies for professionals can help them become positive role models and enhance their ability to lead, as well as promote a positive work culture of trust and collaboration.
Specialized Programs for Workplace Anger Management
Working professionals may need more than just anger control management solutions, especially if they want to move forward in their careers. Leadership requires a proactive approach where you position yourself as the “go-to person.” Yet, go-to people rarely get angry; they always seem in control without looking like they’re trying.
If you would like to move forward in your career, you may want to opt for a specialized program, such as the following:
- Anger Management Coaching for Professionals: One-on-one sessions designed for personalized support.
- Team Therapy: This form of therapy focuses on improving the team dynamics and collaboration that conflicts can disrupt.
- Mediation Sessions: These sessions help facilitate productive resolutions to workplace disputes. They focus on “win-win” outcomes and learning better ways to find mutually acceptable solutions.
- Training Programs: Specialized training programs that teach executives practical anger management skills.
- Employee Assistance Programs: Programs like these focus on providing useful resources and tools for professionals – helping them send the message that they care about the well-being of their employees.
When to Seek Help
If you see the signs and symptoms of workplace anger we described in yourself, remember that early intervention can prevent a small issue from becoming a serious one. Professional therapy and coaching can help you identify triggers, channel your energy constructively, and give you the necessary tools for managing emotions moving forward.
If you’re ready to take the first step, contact our mental health experts at Mission Connection. Our evidence-based therapy, coaching, and training tools are designed to help you let go of stress and take charge of your life with clarity and calm.
References
1. American Psychiatric Association. (2005, January 1). Control anger before it controls you. https://www.apa.org/topics/anger/control
2. American Psychiatric Association. (2017, November 1). Understanding anger: How psychologists help with anger problems. https://www.apa.org/topics/anger/understanding
3. Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2021, November 1). Forgiveness: Your health depends on it. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/forgiveness-your-health-depends-on-it
4. Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Anger – how it affects people. Better Health Channel. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/anger-how-it-affects-people
5. Hayimpinson. (2024, September 30). Anger Statistics: In the Workplace, Impacts in 2024 Brooklyn, NY. Crown Counseling. https://crowncounseling.com/statistics/anger/
6. Russell, P. (2023, December 30). Is all anger in the workplace bad? HRZone. https://hrzone.com/is-all-anger-in-the-workplace-bad/
7. Robert J. Bies. (2021). Anger at work. Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, Cornell University. https://fsap.cornell.edu/sites/fsap/files/pdfs/Anger-in-the-Workplace.pdf
8. Mind. (n.d.). How anger can feel. Mind. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anger/how-anger-can-feel/
9. Murphy, N. (2024, December 11). Anger in the Workplace | Impacts, resolutions & policies. CPD Online College. https://cpdonline.co.uk/knowledge-base/business/anger-in-workplace-address-resolve-conflicts/
10. Hayimpinson. (2024, September 30). Anger Statistics: In the Workplace, Impacts in 2024 Brooklyn, NY. Crown Counseling. https://crowncounseling.com/statistics/anger/
11. Wall, D. (2021, June 18). Anger. ABCT – Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. https://www.abct.org/fact-sheets/anger/
