Stemming the rising tide of anger in the workplace: how to build emotion control among employees before anger spills out

Abstract

Purpose

The combined impact of the pandemic together with political and social disruption has led to a rising tide of anger that is impacting the workplace. The purpose of this article is to trace the range and depth of anger among employed adults in 2021 and to identify three practical ways for leaders to reduce the risk of anger in their workforce.

Design/methodology/approach

Web-based survey of 5,475 employed adults aged 18 and older.

Findings

Across the entire sample, 21% of employees report getting angry more easily or more often lately. While there was no significant difference between men and women, younger workers (younger than 30) were 1.4× more likely (31% for <30 vs 20% for 30+) to report getting angry more easily or more often. Managers were slightly more likely to report increases in anger compared to individual contributors (23% vs 21%).

Originality/value

While leaders cannot alter the root causes of the rising tide of anger, they can equip the workforce with the emotional and behavioral skills to improve self-management. Three practical steps for leaders are offered: acknowledge, assess and understand the problem by integrating data that helps identify the scope, scale and root cause of the challenges and frustrations the workforce is facing; adopt innovative strategies proven to support mental health; and empower a more resilient workforce by providing the tools and techniques that improve coping skills.

Citation

Smith, B. (2022), "Stemming the rising tide of anger in the workplace: how to build emotion control among employees before anger spills out", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 50-53. https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-01-2022-0001