How Anger Can Impact Your Business

This week is National Anger Awareness Week so over here at New Dawn Resources we have been talking about the impact ‘anger issues’ can have on your business. Particularly if you have a member of the team who suffers from what may, at first, just appear to be a ‘bad temper’ or ‘short fuse’ but is that all it is? Read on to find out more

We have all probably found ourselves in a situation where a member of the team seems to react unreasonably to a situation, many managers find this difficult to deal with and quite often there is a tendency to either flare up themselves or avoid addressing the individual in the hope that the problem will go away.

So how do we deal with these situations?

There is always a reason for someone to react in anger. To be able to deal with this issue we firstly need to establish and understand what that reason is. Managers should consider whether the reaction was out of character and if there has been a recent change in the individual or is it just that he/ she is ‘always like that?’

If there has been a recent change this would suggest that something has changed for the employee, it may be an indicator of stress, perhaps the team member is having difficulties at home, may be they have health worries or financial problems. This scenario might be easier to challenge than long standing issues and the new behaviour may itself be a cry for help.

If they have always been this way and the team member is known to become angry, this can be more challenging to address. Firstly the employee might want to know why now, you’ve accepted me this way for years. A tricky one to answer if true. A long standing problem might still be linked to stress and problems at home but the fact it is long standing means it might be harder to solve/correct quickly. It may also be linked to mental health problems or character traits which require more expert handling, such as counselling.

In all situations it is essential that managers try to understand the problem and identify what type of situation creates that reaction, it may be due to misunderstanding, difficulties in communication perhaps. Consider whether these emotions are linked to peer pressure, deadlines or frustrations with certain colleagues.

Here at New Dawn Resources we understand the difficulties employers have in dealing with these situations and firmly believe that not everyone is a born Counsellor. However not dealing with these issues can create unrest within the team and could impact on overall business performance.

Our Training Programme has been structured to provide First Line Managers with knowledge, ideas and suggestions on how to deal with these type of issues, the course allows for delegates to share experiences and discuss the challenges they face in building a strong team.

Click here to find out more about our training courses, or call the New Dawn Resources team on 01484 680098 or contact us through the website.