Leaders Handling Anger and Conflict
Anger Management and Conflict in the Workplace
Anger and conflict in the workplace have always been problematic, as even the best of companies sometimes find that they have strong disagreements between employees, or between employees and management. These anger management issues can lead to incivility and personal insults, which are a losing situation for all parties involved. Because of this, managers must find a way to recognize these problems before they cause too much difficulty, find ways of correcting them if they have already begun, and look for ways that they can use to prevent them from recurring. This is much easier said than done, however, because of the different and complex personalities that are brought to many workplaces.
The issue at hand involves a lot of discussion and concern, because workplaces must be able to operate with open communication and a good spirit if they are to succeed and make work as enjoyable as possible for the management and employees alike. It is for this reason that the idea of anger and conflict in the workplace must be addressed. Since this anger can come from so many different things, management must look at the idea of anger itself, instead of the issue of where it comes from. There is no reliable way to determine exactly where the anger is going to come from for each person, and sometimes it might not even have anything to do with the work environment or a particular person in that environment.
Since the anger that comes into the workplace may sometimes be misguided, management must avoid looking for specific issues that may cause anger in each person, and instead take a broader approach to the issue. Discovering what causes the anger of employees is still important to an extent, but it is far less important than discovering how to deal with anger and conflict when they do arise and learning new ways to help employees that have anger toward others find ways to redirect their anger into something productive or lessen it through various anger management techniques.
When employees can lessen and redirect their anger, it has less of a chance of turning into conflict. This is important because conflict in the workplace can lead to a loss of productivity and morale, which are bad not only for the people involved but for the entire company. Companies that have too much conflict in their workers find that they make less money and are driven to work harder, because of the bickering and fighting that goes on. Employees that have issues with anger and conflict often do not want to work with one another and this makes them vulnerable to all types of problems that could be avoided if management were to take the proper steps.
It is for this reason, as well as others, that managers find themselves having some difficulties with how to deal with anger and stop employees from fighting with one another. They often do not know what the proper steps are, and because they do not know this, they can end up making the problem worse by their misguided but well-intentioned plans to stop their employees from having problems with anger and conflict. There are courses that can be utilized that teach managers a great many things, but how to deal with anger management and conflict in the workplace is something that many managers do not learn and do not work at, so therefore they are unprepared to handle problems when they do arise.
This particular study is something that all managers should be interested in, as it will help to benefit them very strongly when it comes to finding ways to adjust conflict and avoid anger in the workplace. There is no realistic way, of course, to avoid all problems that arise and therefore anger and conflict are not things that can always be lessened or removed. However, when even most of the anger and conflict is avoided in a workplace by the careful concerns of management, the office or other workspace can be made much more pleasant to work in, and all employees will feel more comfortable.
In short the statement of the problem can be summarized thusly: Anger and conflict in the workplace is a serious issue that must be more carefully addressed by management if it is to be lessened or avoided.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to show that there are many things that can be done when considering how managers can avoid or lessen anger and conflict in the workplace. Even though these issues cannot always be entirely avoided, there are enough things that can be done so that the subject is worthy of discussion. The issue has been examined in the past, but it is important that it is looked at again, because it is clear that there are still unresolved conflicts in many businesses and that there are managers that do not know how to handle them so that they are dealt with quickly and efficiently.
Studies such as this one allow managers and others that are in positions of power in various organizations to see that the issue of anger and conflict in business is one that is still very real and significant. It also reminds these individuals that they have a duty to their employees to ensure that the working environment is safe and that employees do not feel threatened. When many managers think of employees feeling threatened, they think of issues such as sexual harassment, that are very serious and can have important legal consequences. Naturally, issues of these type are important and must be dealt with appropriately, but there are also many other issues, such as anger and conflict, that occur more often and do not get the recognition that they deserve.
Anger and conflict in the workplace often go unnoticed by many because they do not lead to legal problems, except in very extreme cases where there is actually criminal behavior committed by one employee against another. These things do happen, but they are usually isolated incidents and therefore not something that the average manager would turn his or her attention to. This is unfortunate, because it represents the extreme side of workplace anger and conflict, which is what any manager should be trying to avoid. However, it is difficult to avoid these types of behaviors, even on a smaller scale, if the manager in question is not taking the idea of workplace anger and conflict seriously enough and attempting to find ways of ensuring that it does not arise or is quickly dealt with and dissipated.
That is not to imply that there is a rash of violence taking place in America's workplaces, but only that there are many smaller skirmishes, fought only with words and poor treatment, that go on in offices and other workplaces all across the country every day. These seem small and petty, but they are very important because they can lead to larger problems if they are not corrected. Sometimes managers do not know that these things are going on, but they should make it there business to find out and stop problems before they get started or in their early stages. One of the best ways to do this is to have an 'open-door' policy, and make sure that it is not just something that is said, but something that the management actually believes in and welcomes.
Importance of the Study
Some studies are more important than others, but all have some value. This particular study, however, is extremely important because it can affect so many different people and will continue to do so, well into the future. Studies such as this one provide a great deal of insight from analyzing the works of others and looking at what anger and conflict can do to workplaces if they are left unchecked. The hostility that can be caused from simple things can manifest itself in many different ways, and once these things have begun, they often grow and continue to get worse.
Studies that can look at this issue objectively and find ways to make managers aware of the problems that they may be facing when it comes to anger and conflict in the workplace will help all of those that manage employees. This carries a great deal of importance for those managers and also for the employees that want to feel safe where they work and not have to worry about being harassed, intimidated, or treated rudely. Respecting fellow employees is something that does not always come as easily as it should, especially if one or more employees are clearly not pulling their weight.
However, this does not mean that these employees should be treated rudely. Instead, other employees should look for ways to help these employees do better and fulfill the duties of their jobs. Sometimes, these employees are actually trying but simply do not have the resources or the accommodations that they need to perform their job duties correctly. If it is just generally assumed that these employees are lazy or do not care about their job, they will often be the object of anger from other employees. If other employees and management would talk to these employees and determine what could be done to help them, it is quite possible that simple accommodations can be made that will keep everyone happy and help to dissipate the anger that other employees have toward them.
Those that work for others in this country are a natural resource, of sorts, and they all deserve to be treated fairly, and with dignity and respect, when they are on the job. Anger that is directed at these employees, either from management or other employees, accomplishes nothing in the way of productivity and can negatively impact the future of the company. Not all managers realize the significance of this issue, as many see workplace anger and conflict as just part of the equation when people work with one another. It appears, however, that it is not necessary for this to be part of the equation - it can be avoided or greatly lessened, but this must be done correctly.
Studies such as this one will work to show that there are right and wrong ways to lessen this anger and conflict, and that managers should be studying this issue more closely in an effort to ensure that their employees are happy, productive, and safe when they come to work. Even if management thinks that the employees are safe, those same employees must feel safe or nothing has really been accomplished in this regard. Talking to employees and trying to understand their thoughts and feelings about their jobs and the problems that they might be having can go a long way toward making the workplace more open and friendly, and toward diffusing the anger that some employees may either develop on the job or bring with them. Even if the anger comes from something outside of work, it can still lead to strong conflict if it is not handled correctly by management.
It is unfortunate that many managers do not realize the power that they have over others when it comes to helping. The power of a manager is often seen in other areas, but these managers are also able to do a great deal of good for their employees by talking to them, ensuring that they are happy and feel safe, and helping to work out any problems that workers might have in their personal lives or with each other. Managers cannot spend all of their time playing counselor, of course, especially if the employee's problems are generally of a personal nature. However, this does not mean that managers cannot talk to their employees and assure them that they are always available if there is any kind of problem that an employee needs to talk about. This can be true of employees that have anger toward someone else, and also true of employees that feel as though anger is being directed at them for some reason by various other employees.
Scope of the Study
The scope of this study is both broad and narrow, and an explanation of this statement is necessary here. In short, the study is narrow because it looks at the literature that has already been created, and it is broad because it has the potential to affect literally millions of American workers. By looking only at the literature that has already been created by others, the study does not expand its database as strongly as it could. However, the results and conclusions that are drawn from this study and analysis of the works of others could apply to so many other people that there is no real way to determine exactly how many people would be affected by it. Theoretically, it is possible that every employee and manager in the country could be affected in some way by this study, and it is also possible that individuals in other countries could also find worth and interest in what this study has to say.
Limitations of the Study
As with any study, this one does have its limitations. One of those limitations is that there will always be some employees that have anger management issues, despite the best efforts of management, so the information collected and discussed will not actually apply to all of the employees and managers throughout this country and others. In other words, no one thing can save or protect everyone, and these employees that do not respond well to managers that try to help them with their anger will likely end up with many problems throughout their working lives, and make things difficult for other employees as well.
There are always some employees whose behavior cannot be changed, and this is unfortunate but true. As a result of this, the study conducted here cannot be generalized to every employee or manager now and in the future because there are some employees for whom anger management training simply does not work, regardless of how well it is done. The same of true of managers, as there will always be some that believe these kinds of problems only happen in other countries and therefore will not feel as though they need to learn about the issue or concern themselves with it.
Another limitation is that this study deals with the work that has already been conducted by others as a database, instead of surveying and interviewing employees and managers, which would create new data. This is a common way of conducting studies, and there is still a great deal of value and merit to a study that is conducted in this way, but it is not the same as getting fresh data to be used for this study only. Not everyone sees this as a drawback or limitation, but there are those that do, and because of this it must be mentioned here as a potential limitation.
They are something that cannot really be avoided, no matter how carefully a study is conducted and analyzed. Some studies have more limitations than others, but recognizing and acknowledging these limitations shows strengths within the study instead of weaknesses and show that the researcher is aware of the problems that may arise from conducting the study in the manner that he or she has chosen to use.
Another limitation is the data and the qualitative vs. quantitative issue. The data is somewhat of a limitation because it is not completely original to the study. If it were created for this specific study it would cease to be an issue, but that is not the case here. However, since the data is not new to this particular study, but has simply been compiled and presented in a different way, it is limited to what others have already done and discovered and thought when dealing with this particular subject and its importance.
This does not mean that the study is not important or valid, or that it will not tell readers anything new about the issue of anger and conflict in the workplace and what it means for both employees and managers alike. It does mean, however, that the information used to create the study has already been seen in other studies before, and therefore the same kinds of studies could easily be done by other researchers if they chose to utilize the same studies for information and literature review and compile the same data.
The qualitative vs. quantitative issue likely plagues every study that has ever been done, regardless of whether it is qualitative or quantitative in nature. This is largely due to the fact that there are always various arguments and differing opinions as to which one method is better for which type of study. Since this study focuses on the qualitative side of things, it does not address statistical figures as much as it would if it were quantitative. Some will see this as a problem, and will want hard and fast data that they can analyze. However, this study does address the thoughts and feelings of employees and managers as well as what others have to say about anger management and conflict in the workplace, what it is, and what should be done about it in the future, which would not be considered to the same degree if the study were quantitative.
The researcher must choose which method is going to be better when deciding what kind of study he or she wishes to conduct, and this particular study will be largely qualitative. There is no right or wrong when choosing which way to conduct a study. The opinion simply must be made as to which choice is better for the kind of study being conducted and the information that is available on the topic. That does not mean that no specific facts or figures will ever be mentioned in the analysis of the data or the review of the literature, but that this type of information will not be what is largely addressed within the confines of this particular study. Whether this is a limitation is arguable. Some may think that it is, while others will see things quite differently, depending on their perceptions of how the study should have been conducted and what should have been concluded.
Either way it is considered or discussed, it has the potential to be a limitation of this study and therefore it has been addressed here to avoid any later problems that could appear based on whether one person believed the study to be flawed because of the way it was conducted. By pointing it and any other obvious issues out now, it indicates that the researcher is aware of what the problem may be and is interested in making sure that others are aware of the fact that it has been given consideration and thought before the study was conducted.
Limitations of the study should not be seen as reasons that the study should be discounted. Quite the opposite, discussing the limitations of the study shows that the researcher is aware of what kinds of problems he or she might be facing in the study and the issues that these problems will create. It is a strength of a study when the limitations are clearly pointed out and discussed, and is indicative of the fact that the researcher is aware of what kind of obstacles may stand in the way of a complete and thorough answer to the question being asked.
Overview of the Study
At the end of the first chapter, it is always important to discuss what will happen in the rest of the study. Much of this comes from the fact that it provides the reader with a kind of mental road map of what is going on next, and this helps the reader not to feel overwhelmed by all of the information that will be presented in the next chapters.
In the next chapter, the literature will be reviewed. Most of the literature review will be from journal articles, as there are some excellent articles available about the subject. While articles are important to the study, there will also be plentiful information from books, since there are often studies done and information offered that is not offered in the form of articles that have been written about the topic. The literature that is reviewed will provide a complete and comprehensive picture of the issue and pave the way for the following chapters.
Chapter Three will deal with the methodology of the study, looking at such issues as the approach, the method of collecting data, and the method of analysis. Also dealt with will be the database for the study. These are all important issues, and sufficient space will be allotted to discuss them thoroughly, in order to provide a complete understanding of the way that the data was collected and its significance for the data analysis that will follow.
Chapter Four will contain the data analysis, as the data that is collected for a study means very little if it is not analyzed properly and thoroughly. The study will be largely qualitative, but that does not mean that there is not a great deal of information that can be found out and addressed from the information collected. Most of the analysis will deal with the opinions and information presented by those that deal with employees and have beliefs regarding anger management and its importance, and by the information that has been collected based on the articles and books that have been studied.
In the fifth and final chapter, the entire study will be summarized, and conclusions will be drawn about whether the statement of the problem has been accurate or inaccurate, or whether further study is needed to determine this. Also dealt with in the last chapter will be the recommendations for further study. It is these recommendations that are so very important, as they allow researchers in the future to study the problem more carefully, possibly in a different way, and see if they reach the same or different conclusions about the issue that has been analyzed and discussed.
Recommendations will also be dealt with for managers and what they can do right now to try to help avoid some of the anger issues that they are seeing in their companies. While not the same as recommendations for future research, these management recommendations will also be important to future researchers, because they allow for a better understanding of where managers are right now when facing this issue and what else can be done to help them so that they can help their employees. These recommendations for managers come from various sources, as there are many different ideas that are utilized when it comes to how best to deal with employees that are displaying problematic behavior.
The summary, recommendations, and conclusions that are dealt with in Chapter Five are the culmination of everything that has been seen throughout the rest of the study and the analysis of the information that was collected during the review of the literature that takes place in Chapter Two. Because of this, Chapter Five offers perhaps the most important information where managers are concerned and gives the best advice for both companies and researchers as they look toward the future.
Chapter Two
Review of the Literature
Background
There is an old adage in the business world that indicates that approximately 85% of the success of a manager usually comes from being able to deal with other people (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997). Dealing with different personalities in a company or department is often difficult and the challenge is one that is continuous and ongoing. The nature of work has changed quite a lot in the last few years and working with individuals in this context has become more difficult and complex. There are many companies that are fraught with tension, stress, low morale, and anxiety, and all of these factors as well as other ones can foster in many employees feelings of despair, helplessness, anger, and even rage in some circumstances (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997).
Because of this, workers find many different ways in which they act out and indicate their unhappiness with the way their life is going. Many behavior problems that appear in the workplace stay unresolved and when they do they can cost the company a great deal of money because employees that are angry about something will sometimes sue their employers and therefore cost the company a great deal of money (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997). It is important to look at what type of issues lead up to these problems, what characteristics are most often displayed by employees that are consistently disruptive, how the law is changing in this regard, what type of liability insurance employers really should have to guard against these types of issues, and what various employers can do in order to help make the workplace better and safer for all involved.
Most individuals in this country have experienced at some point in time some type of problem within the workplace (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997). Unfortunately, management is often part of this problem because they either contribute to it, appear to be oblivious to what is going on around them, or look for solutions that they cannot find because they are not looking in the right way for the correct thing (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997). Many of these problems come about because work is changing so much and this is causing a great deal of tension and stress for many employees.
Originally, employees in many corporations worked from 9 to 5 (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997). Now, however, many of these same employees are expected to work up to 60 hours or more per week in an effort to help their company because the economy is so globally defined now that there is so much more to do in an organization (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997). Raises and benefits for many of these employees that are working longer hours and doing harder jobs have not been able to keep up with the inflation that has been growing within this country (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997).
There are also many employees out there that truly love their work but they actually hate their jobs (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997). This may seem impossible but it is not. Even if an individual really loves what he or she is doing this does not mean that the manner or context in which he or she is doing it is enjoyed. Because of the dissatisfaction and upset that so many employees are facing many organizations are full of employee problems with work. Not only has the nature of work changed a lot but different personalities and ideas within the same department often make it difficult to get all individuals to agree on one thing (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997).
In addition to working hours rising most of the job security that many of these individuals had is much less than what it used to be and overall the amount of stress that most employees feel at work has also risen (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997). Some of this comes from the overwhelming workloads that many of these individuals face but having social environments at the workplace that are poor and do not work well, having expectations that are very uncertain or that conflict with the expectations of others, and having a loss of the control that they previously had over how much work they did can all cause a great deal of stress for many employees (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997).
Computerization is another one of the issues that is causing problems at work and even though it would seem that computerizing a department would make it easier, in fact it often makes doing things much more difficult (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997). It is not surprising that many employees in companies today have become alienated. They do not have any attachment to their company and they feel no loyalty to that company, other employees, or their supervisors or managers (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997). Interpersonal difficulties have become much more commonplace in workplaces today and many of these are between workers and the managers that supervise them (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997).
This is interfering with work environments that used to be healthy and it is also causing problems with productivity in many companies. Employees not only feel underappreciated but they also feel overworked and because of this the behavioral problems that are taking place in many companies today are becoming much more than simply isolated events (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997). What is important to note about difficult or disruptive employees is that they are not usually unproductive, disloyal, or inept (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997). These individuals do not need to be put on notice about anything or be fired from their jobs. Quite often they are the most productive and the most intelligent individuals of any team or company (Bias, Tripp, & Kramer, 1997).
Their business behavior, however, can be troublesome and annoying and can eventually damage or disrupt the organization of it is not corrected at some point. There are disruptive employees that are also very productive and there are also disruptive employees that are unproductive (Martin & Watson, 1997). These individuals are not really good enough for an organization to keep on but they are not bad enough to actually be fired (Martin & Watson, 1997). The employer is therefore left feeling that the work that an employees is doing is not up to standard and this same employer may then feel that he or she is not getting value for the money that is being paid to the employee (Martin & Watson, 1997).
Many of the day-to-day functioning of various departments within companies are troubled by employees that have been there long-term but are only performing marginally (Martin & Watson, 1997). There are other problems that are worse than this but there are few areas that remain as upsetting on a constant basis (Martin & Watson, 1997). The main reasons that frustration and anger have become so strong within the workplace today are that job security and lifetime employment has generally ended (Martin & Watson, 1997). Even in jobs that were traditionally known as cradle to grave, such as military positions and civil service, many of the lifetime jobs are being phased out or changed in some way (Martin & Watson, 1997).
By reengineering, downsizing, and restructuring many corporations workplaces are being turned upside down and workers therefore become scared, angry, and frustrated because they fear losing their jobs and their benefits (Martin & Watson, 1997). As a result of this many workers choose to become disruptive or act out in many different ways, and this causes a lot of problems for their managers and their co-workers (Martin & Watson, 1997).
Characteristics Displayed by Disruptive Employees
Behavioral problems are not actually the problem but the symptom. They are evidence that there are dysfunctional patterns occurring within the behavior that is taking place within an organization (Latack & Havlovic, 1992). When these dysfunctional patterns are allowed to continue they will only grow and fester, which will make these problems worse and add additional problems on top of them (Latack & Havlovic, 1992). Many these problems persist for quite a long time and one of the reasons that this is the case is largely due to the fact that management does not truly understand how they can be changed or where they came from (Latack & Havlovic, 1992).
There are many different behavioral problems that employees display but these can include absenteeism, substance abuse, accidents, theft, workplace violence, overusing their health-care system, and lawsuits (Latack & Havlovic, 1992). Individual employees often have their reasons for doing things the way that they do and there are specific categories that many of these employees are involved in (Latack & Havlovic, 1992). It is important to look at the specific characteristics as they have been represented by various researchers and they will be presented here in bullet form (Latack & Havlovic, 1992).
The autocrat - this is the individual who expects everything to be done in a specific way and therefore co-workers of this individual have no authority or input in any type of decision-making (Latack & Havlovic, 1992).
The rebel - this is an individual who refuses to abide by the rules that the company has created (Latack & Havlovic, 1992). Whether this individual will not abide by these rules or simply cannot is often left to speculation (Latack & Havlovic, 1992). There is an antiauthoritarian attitude about this individual and this individual often enjoys seeing how far he or she can stretch the boundaries and the rules that he or she has been given (Latack & Havlovic, 1992). It would seem as though these individuals will be fired rapidly but they are quite often tolerated because they have competence that is deemed to be exceptional in their particular field (Latack & Havlovic, 1992). Eventually, this individual will find himself or herself in a great deal of trouble because management or other higher-ups will be alienated or offended at some point (Latack & Havlovic, 1992).
The objector - this individual is very intelligent and often has many of the right answers to anything that is asked (Havlovic & Keenan, 1995). Unfortunately, this individual also complains and nit-picks about even the most straightforward things, causing other employees to feel uncomfortable (Havlovic & Keenan, 1995). This particular employee seems to always have a better way to approach every task or every part of a task and spends a great deal more time objecting to things than he or she actually does performing for the company (Havlovic & Keenan, 1995).
The perfectionist - this particular worker expects everything that is being done regarding a document or project to be absolutely perfect before it is ever released (Havlovic & Keenan, 1995). Because of this the project that this individual may be involved in tends to drag on for an extended period of time and often times these individuals will miss their deadlines (Havlovic & Keenan, 1995). This can be very significant when a company is working on a particular deadline (Havlovic & Keenan, 1995).
The aggressor - this individual turns everything into a battle and always attempts to win (Havlovic & Keenan, 1995). They are quite often accused of refusing to be team players and they are also seen to be overly protective of what they consider to be 'theirs (Havlovic & Keenan, 1995).'
The procrastinator - this individual waits and waits to do something and will not do any type of work until the mood strikes him or her and he or she then feels that it is time to do something (Havlovic & Keenan, 1995). This would not be unacceptable, generally, but is difficult when there are deadlines that need to be met or others waiting for something that this individual is working on (Havlovic & Keenan, 1995).
The criticizer - this individual has no sensitivity to others around them or the feelings that these other individuals may have (Diong & Bishop, 1999). Usually, this person will describe themselves as a people person but when delivering feedback or criticizing an individual will do it in a way that is extremely devastating and then not realize what type of impact he or she has had on the other individual (Diong & Bishop, 1999).
The backstabber - this individual bonds with co-workers quite easily but the only reason that he or she does so is to get some type of personal advantage or advancement from the relationship (Diong & Bishop, 1999).
The politician - this individual is very dangerous within a company and is often considered to be the most dangerous of all of the different types of difficult individuals within an organization (Diong & Bishop, 1999). This worker is able to gain the support of his or her co-workers and is therefore able to undermine what the manager is trying to do within a particular department (Diong & Bishop, 1999).
The busybody - this individual goes way too far in the involvement that he or she has with the individuals that work for the company (Diong & Bishop, 1999). This individual will often take information that is damaging or incorrect and utilize it to start conversations as well as social and professional relationships (Diong & Bishop, 1999).
As can be seen, there many different types of individuals that can cause a problem with an organization. It is somewhat of a puzzle why many of these individuals cause these types of problems because most of them are capable of doing very well in getting along quite successfully with other individuals if they wish to. Many of them are very intelligent, have a lot of talent, and have a very pleasant demeanor, but they choose not to use these things (Fine & Olson, 1997). Instead, they utilize tactics that are inappropriate and aggressive in order to get what they want (Fine & Olson, 1997). These individuals are capable of getting along very well with both their subordinates and their superiors and their closest associates often see them as effective and very happy (Fine & Olson, 1997).
This makes it confusing when they display difficult or upsetting behavior toward specific individuals because the individual that is being offended or mistreated probably is in an uncomfortable position (Fine & Olson, 1997). This largely comes from the fact that this person does not treat others this way and therefore the individual that is being treated inappropriately may have trouble convincing others that there is any type of problem with a particular employee (Fine & Olson, 1997).
There have been instances of employees that cause problems and terrorize their co-workers for many years (Fine & Olson, 1997). Sometimes, this happens because other employees are not willing to speak out (Fine & Olson, 1997). They are afraid of that particular employee and because there is such an atmosphere of fear within the company the people will not jeopardize their mental or physical well-being by going to management and explaining the problem (Fine & Olson, 1997). These disruptive employees also manage to create their own type of drama as they continue to play protagonist over and over again (Fine & Olson, 1997). Everyone else that they work with are antagonists and they see themselves as being undermined by these individuals (Fine & Olson, 1997).
They see these other workers as the reasons that they cannot achieve the goals that they have set for themselves (Fine & Olson, 1997). This type of employee creates serious and damaging rumors from small bits of gossip that may go around the office, intimidates and frightens most of the other co-workers, distorts much of the information that he or she receives, and is essentially poisonous to the working environment to an extent that no one is happy within the company (Fine & Olson, 1997).
Many of these types of disruptive behavior come as a result of employees being angry. Many employees are very angry these days, although not all of them show it in ways discussed above. They have seen their job security disappear and they have seen employment shrink in many areas while other countries in the world are expanding their jobs quite rapidly. Some of this is because the United States is sending a lot of their jobs overseas, and some of it is simply due to the global marketplace and the restructuring of much of the business world.
In order to meet demands for competition and reduce overhead, many employers are strongly reducing the size of the labor force that they have (Kassinove, 1995). This makes those that remain or those that work in companies that are similar very concerned about whether their job will actually be secure (Kassinove, 1995). Having computerization in many companies has sent a great deal of middle managers away from companies because they are no longer needed (Kassinove, 1995). These individuals are having trouble getting other jobs (Kassinove, 1995). They are not as qualified as they need to be to get high-level management jobs, but on the same hand they are overqualified for many of the jobs that their subordinates did in the company that they left (Kassinove, 1995). The competitive reality in this country today, and actually across the world as the marketplace becomes more global, is a very hard and serious reality and many of the decisions to cut jobs are very tough, but they still must be done (Kassinove, 1995).
As long as individuals have been working with others there have been workplace issues that have created anger (Kassinove, 1995). There have always been causes for these individuals to be angry but never before in the history of work has so much aggression and anger been seen in the workplace as has been seen in the last few years (Kassinove, 1995). One poll indicated that 25% of the employees across the country are angry when they are at work (Kassinove, 1995). Those that are age 50 or over are not nearly as likely to feel angry as those who are between the ages of 18 and 34, as these individuals were over four times more likely to report that they felt angry (Kassinove, 1995). There are several specific catalysts in the workplace that caused a great deal of anger, and it is important to list them here (Kassinove, 1995).
General harassment, which can be sexual or some other type of harassment (Kassinove, 1995).
Showing favoritism of one or more employees over others (Kassinove, 1995).
Having poor communication between co-workers or between workers and management (Kassinove, 1995).
Having bosses that are generally absent and therefore not interested in the day-to-day workings of the company and what the employees may be going through (Kassinove, 1995).
Having performance appraisals that are unfair or inappropriate for what the employee has actually accomplished (Kassinove, 1995).
Working with managers that are clearly insensitive to the needs of others (Kassinove, 1995).
Employees that do not have adequate training for the job that they are doing (Kassinove, 1995).
Having a lack of resources needed to create a job or project (Kassinove, 1995).
Working with individuals that are unwilling to be team players (Kassinove, 1995).
Having a strong lack of or violating trust (Kassinove, 1995).
Losing benefits that were originally earned because of downsizing or other cutbacks (Kassinove, 1995).
Depersonalizing the workplace to the extent that it no longer feels safe and comfortable (Kassinove, 1995).
These twelve are but a few of the catalysts that can block teamwork of individuals and decrease the productivity that many companies have. Many of these problems also lead to behavioral problems that are unresolved in many employees and when these employees become so angry that they sue, the company then loses a great deal of money. Is important to discuss what has happened to the law in recent years where businesses and employees are concerned because it has some effect on some of the anger that these individuals are facing.
Recent Changes to Law
Employees often create an area of liability or vulnerability for many corporations and other companies (Kemp & Strongman, 1994). It seems that individuals within corporate America are facing an explosion of litigation from employees and the amount of lawsuits each year appears to be growing (Kemp & Strongman, 1994). Within the five years between 1991 and 1996 the amount of employment discrimination claims that were filed within federal trial courts in the United States increased over 100% (Kemp & Strongman, 1994). It has continued to increase since that time (Kemp & Strongman, 1994). It appears that one of every five lawsuits that are filed within the United States is filed by either former or current employees and therefore employment law is becoming the fastest-growing area where litigation is concerned (Kemp & Strongman, 1994).
Workers get angry and they therefore act inappropriately at work (Kemp & Strongman, 1994). When they realize that this is not going to solve anything they go out in record numbers and they file lawsuits against their employers or former employers (Kemp & Strongman, 1994). It is a challenge to resolve these employee disputes before this kind of thing happens but it is also a task that is getting even more difficult (Kemp & Strongman, 1994). However, despite the difficulties that employers face regarding this they must work to solve these problems as quickly as they can before they go to court and cost the company a great deal of money (Kemp & Strongman, 1994).
There are both state and federal laws that create the rights that are given to many employees and these have been expanded in recent years which provide the same employees even more opportunities to bring lawsuits and other claims against their employers (Kemp & Strongman, 1994). The Civil Rights Restoration Act that was created in 1991 specifically allowed damages for many types of discrimination and also granted employees the right to have a jury trial for these types of claims (Kemp & Strongman, 1994). Disability and age discrimination, family and medical leave, and safety and health while on the job are also areas were employees have enjoyed many more rights over recent years (Kemp & Strongman, 1994).
What is possibly more important for employers, however, is that the Act in 1991 entitled these individuals to compensatory and punitive damages as well as legal fees and back pay (Kemp & Strongman, 1994). Many of these awards are capped at $300,000, and this is only for companies that have greater than 500 employees, but these caps can be overridden right adding negligence, slander, and other claims to the lawsuit (Kemp & Strongman, 1994). Not only is there a financial incentive for many of these former employees who feel they have been mistreated to sue their former employers, but many attorneys are finding financial incentive and taking on these types of cases (Kemp & Strongman, 1994).
Experts in the field indicate that receiving lawsuits for employment practices, even for businesses that manage themselves well and carefully, are now much higher than they ever were because of all the federal and state laws that have been changed or amended, the regulations that have been created, and many court rulings that now strongly govern almost every issue regarding how various businesses promote, hire, manage, and fire their employees (McConatha, Leone & Armstrong, 1997). In addition to the Civil Rights Restoration Act that was created in 1991, 1990 saw the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family and the Medical Leave Act was created in 1992 (McConatha, Leone & Armstrong, 1997).
These are still relatively recent federal laws and they have some of the strongest impacts on employment practices within this country (McConatha, Leone & Armstrong, 1997). Employees that are very angry and interested in suing their employers or former employers often strike out and they are usually very successful (McConatha, Leone & Armstrong, 1997). Companies of all sizes and shapes are at risk for these kinds of problems and there are several specific issues that must be addressed (McConatha, Leone & Armstrong, 1997).
Age Discrimination
One of the most serious areas where individuals face problems with their employers is in discriminating based on age (Bensimon, 1997). One case tells about a manager in a securities brokerage firm who was allegedly demoted because of the age that he reached and then when he complained he was fired (Bensimon, 1997). In arbitration, this gentleman was awarded $765,000 in various damages (Bensimon, 1997). Age discrimination suits are filed not only for large companies but also for small companies as well (Bensimon, 1997). One was filed in a machine shop that only had 16 employees in a state in the West (Bensimon, 1997). According to the owner, a man who was approaching the age of retirement volunteered to be laid off because layoffs were possibly becoming necessary (Bensimon, 1997).
Eventually, business did slow down and the employee again chose to be laid off rather than switch jobs working in the plant (Bensimon, 1997). Two years after the individual was laid off, he sued and charge the company with age discrimination (Bensimon, 1997). After 1 (Bensimon, 1997).5 years of litigation and hassles, the company finally settled with the individual and ended up paying him a total of $140,000 to cover attorneys' fees and damages (Bensimon, 1997). Age discrimination is not only a successful plan for attacking a company but it has often proved to be extremely profitable (Bensimon, 1997). Claims regarding age discrimination are often brought primarily by white men to have high-paying jobs and a relatively high status in their company (Bensimon, 1997).
By alleging that they were discharged in a discriminatory manner these individuals are able to recover monetary judgments that are many times higher than plaintiffs would be able to receive if the filed under the Civil Rights Act (Bensimon, 1997). This is also true of individuals who sue under the Equal Pay Act (Bensimon, 1997). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission does not track the number and type of these lawsuits that are filed but attorneys believe that the largest increase is coming in the age discrimination area (Bensimon, 1997). Individuals that are over the age of 40 and are laid off are being seen in disproportionate numbers in many companies (Bensimon, 1997).
To often these companies make a very serious mistake when they terminate these employees by saying that their performances are poor because they either disregard progressive discipline or adopt it only on short notice (Bensimon, 1997). Progressive discipline is extremely important in terminating an employee that has been there for long period of time because juries often see these individuals as very sympathetic, and because they have a desire to help that particular individual there often rule in their favor (Bensimon, 1997).
Wrongful Termination
Wrongful termination is a less descriptive but otherwise important area that many individuals use when they file a lawsuit (Clay, Anderson & Dixon, 1993). While not being as specific as age or racial discrimination, wrongful termination is still utilized quite often (Clay, Anderson & Dixon, 1993). One individual utilized only four paragraphs that were located in the company handbook as grounding for a wrongful termination lawsuit that was filed and requested $3 (Clay, Anderson & Dixon, 1993).2 million in damages (Clay, Anderson & Dixon, 1993).
The lawsuit has not yet been settled but over one-half of the cases that are filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are based on wrongful termination (Clay, Anderson & Dixon, 1993). In one out of every five cases that are resolved successfully the employee that was fired collected more than $100,000 from the former employer (Clay, Anderson & Dixon, 1993). The average cost for settlement in any type of wrongful termination or age discrimination case is usually in the middle six-figure range (Clay, Anderson & Dixon, 1993).
Racial Discrimination
This is one area where minority employees file a lot of lawsuits (Deffenbacher, 1995). For example, if the minority individual does not receive a promotion that was deserved, he or she will often sue that particular company charging that the promotion was not received based on race (Deffenbacher, 1995). In one particular case this occurred and the individual's supervisor, who was white, had already resigned at the time the lawsuit was filed to take a higher paying job in a different company (Deffenbacher, 1995). This individual joined in the lawsuit claiming that he was put under pressure not to promote the minority individual (Deffenbacher, 1995). This white supervisor also claimed that he was denied a promotion after he indicated support for the minority individual's discrimination complaint (Deffenbacher, 1995).
The court could not show any type of clear-cut evidence indicating that the company discriminated in any way but a jury found for the plaintiffs (Deffenbacher, 1995). When the emotional distress, punitive damages, and economic harm were added in the award by the jury was $89 (Deffenbacher, 1995).5 million (Deffenbacher, 1995). This was one of the largest awards that had ever been seen in either federal or state court in a case involving any type of employment law (Deffenbacher, 1995). An appellate court reduced the punitive damages very strongly but they still came to almost $8 million (Deffenbacher, 1995). Damages for emotional distress for both plaintiffs were affirmed at $5 (Deffenbacher, 1995).5 million and $4 million was affirmed for economic harm (Deffenbacher, 1995). In all three of the categories, the total still reached $17 (Deffenbacher, 1995).3 million (Deffenbacher, 1995).
Some legal cases for discrimination do have merit, but there are many that are just created by vengeful former employees in order to attempt to get even with companies that they feel hurt them in some way (Deffenbacher, 1995). These lawsuits are frivolous but if there is any type of evidence, even circumstantial evidence, juries often find in favor of the employees, rather than the former employer (Deffenbacher, 1995). There are many laws on the books today that allow for damage awards that are very large and there are many attorneys that are more than willing to take these types of cases to court (Deffenbacher, 1995). The plaintiffs make a great deal of money and the attorneys often do likewise (Deffenbacher, 1995). Companies that are sued often feel compelled to attempt to settle out-of-court because the cost of going to court is so high (Deffenbacher, 1995). The average cost and taking a case to trial is over $70,000 and that amount can quickly reach six figures once the trial begins (Deffenbacher, 1995).
Insurance for Employment Practices Liability
One way that companies can help reduce some of these legal risks by purchasing insurance. In the last 15 years or so new insurance products that deal with employment practices liability have been created (Eckhardt & Deffenbacher, 1995). These policies insure supervisors, officers, companies, and key employees against any type of litigation related to employment (Eckhardt & Deffenbacher, 1995). These can include sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, and discrimination claims (Eckhardt & Deffenbacher, 1995). In California companies are much more likely to purchase these types of employment practices policies (Eckhardt & Deffenbacher, 1995). This is due to the fact that in one year's time there were 25,000 charges based on sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and other issues (Eckhardt & Deffenbacher, 1995). This was equivalent to one-quarter of the total amount of these types of charges filed within the United States (Eckhardt & Deffenbacher, 1995).
This kind of insurance has limits that usually range from as little as $50,000 to over $10 million worth of protection (Eckhardt & Deffenbacher, 1995). Employers that are cautious are picking them up quickly but only those who have a lot of money are able to afford to utilize them (Eckhardt & Deffenbacher, 1995). Premiums run between $100 and $150 for each employee and can be as much as $10,500 if the company has a workforce of over 70 people (Eckhardt & Deffenbacher, 1995). Naturally, with a large company with many more employees, this amount would be much higher (Eckhardt & Deffenbacher, 1995). Despite this cost, many underwriters have entered this field and comparison shopping with regard to this type of insurance is now available (Eckhardt & Deffenbacher, 1995).
Agents that deal with this type of insurance advise buyers, particularly owners of small businesses, to pay close attention to what is covered and what is not covered in these policies (Eckhardt & Deffenbacher, 1995). For example, one insurance company has a policy that covers claims such as negligent evaluation, depriving an individual of a career opportunity, and wrongful infliction of emotional distress (Eckhardt & Deffenbacher, 1995).
Whatever all of the reasons are behind the growth in lawsuits, many employers are looking at strategies that reduce costs and the risk of litigation. Unfortunately, none of these strategies are exhaustive. However, the most common ones look at insuring against any type of employment litigation, completely avoiding courts through arbitration and other dispute resolution processes, and examining the corporate policies much more closely to avoid any type of disputes before they may actually arise.
Employers Can Do Something
There are several things that employers can do to try to avoid problems before they get started. In workplaces that are highly competitive there tends to be very strong emotional situations between many employees. The more dedicated and talented these individuals are, and the more likely to be spontaneous and passionate about their work, including getting angry when something does not go right, the higher the chance for volatile arrangements and difficulties within the company (Martin & Watson, 1997).
Whether this type of behavior is beneficial to the company or poisonous to it may depend on the ability of the employees to appropriately give out what they can and take what they are given without taking any of the difficulties personally. In addition to this, managers that are in tune with what is going on in their company must be very sensitive to the problems, some subtle and some not, that exist within their company. The following is a list of some of the things that employers can do to help avoid lawsuits and other difficulties within the company environment.
Monitor closely the work performance of employees so that problems with performance can be spotted at an early stage.
Create a plan that clearly illustrates the direction, focus, and chain of command for any company and then make sure that that chain is strictly enforced.
Make sure that management in a particular company stays on top of rules and deadlines for various federal and state regulations.
Increase severance packages for employees in exchange for written declarations regarding the employee's inability to sue.
Ensure that one disruptive employee is quickly dealt with so that the morale of the co-workers does not suffer unduly.
Discourage co-workers and supervisors from engaging in any type of harassing or discriminatory behavior by making it very clear that this is not something that the company will tolerate. If this type of action does occur prompt disciplinary action must be taken to set an example for others.
Evaluate the value of the disruptive employee in terms of the contribution that he or she has made to the company and the work performance that he or she has given, as well as how strong the disruptive behavior is, in order to help make a determination as to whether the problem is one that is worth solving or whether the employee should simply be terminated. It is important to understand that there must be strong grounds for this type of termination before it can take place, or the company will be open to a lawsuit.
Provide all employees with strong communication channels through which they are able to report problems with supervisory conduct and decisions that they see as being harassing, wrongful, or otherwise discriminatory in some way. The company should investigate these complaints quickly and seek legal advice for anything that may not be quickly resolved.
Source: Martin & Watson, 1997
Despite this list, the most important thing that a manager or other company supervisor can do is listen. Not only listen to the employees but to the other supervisors as well, as everyone deserves the chance to say what they feel they need to. People want to know they are understood and that what they feel and think about something is important. In order to ensure that a manager understands what the employee is thinking, he or she should paraphrase what the employee has said to them (Martin & Watson, 1997).
To acknowledge understanding of what that employee feels, the manager should acknowledge and reflect the emotions and feelings that the individual has indicated (Martin & Watson, 1997). Very few people enjoy any type of conflict in the workplace and they do not like to confront people who create and cause problems, but managing a company effectively today requires that managers seek out the conflict that employees often create in the workplace instead of trying to hide from it and avoid it (Martin & Watson, 1997).
Anger and Gender in the Workplace
Anger and gender is one area that has often not been discussed when it has come to employment law and other job-related issues (Eichinger, Heifetz & Ingraham, 1991). Anger has often been defined as a strong emotion or strong emotional state that occurs in response to frustration, injustice, or threats that are real or imagined (Eichinger, Heifetz & Ingraham, 1991). It often includes the desire to then terminate what is causing the problem (Eichinger, Heifetz & Ingraham, 1991). Over many years, the Western culture has seen anger as being undesirable and symptomatic of irrational behavior (Eichinger, Heifetz & Ingraham, 1991). The use of will or self-control has often been used to control this anger and any type of expression it may take (Eichinger, Heifetz & Ingraham, 1991). This may have something to do with the fact that there is not a great deal of research for specifics that deal with anger (Eichinger, Heifetz & Ingraham, 1991). Most of it has been devoted to studying stress or aggression, which is not exactly the same thing (Eichinger, Heifetz & Ingraham, 1991).
There many similarities, but anger has not yet been sufficiently research and is therefore quite likely not well understood (Eichinger, Heifetz & Ingraham, 1991). Anger occurring within the workplace is a research topic that has not been widely studied, yet there are indications that many employees experience workplace annoyances at least ten times out of every day and as has been mentioned previously, one-quarter of workers experience anger within their companies (Eichinger, Heifetz & Ingraham, 1991). Many of the cited reasons include not only the employment security and harassment that was mentioned before but poor working conditions, interpersonal conflicts, alienation, inequities within salaries, and a low level of control over their jobs (Eichinger, Heifetz & Ingraham, 1991).
These conditions tend to trigger feelings that are very hostile and therefore these individuals are frequently angry. Both the physiological and psychological well-being of these angry individuals can be affected, and actually their co-workers and others around them are affected by it as well. There have been many more women in the workforce recently but studies have not examined to any great extent whether gender influences work-related anger and the experience that individuals have. Reviews of literature in the past have indicated that gender differences in anger in the workplace are a phenomenon that is very recent (Kelly & Hutson-Comeaux, 1999; Long, 1989; Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000; Chow, 1987; Cox, Stabb & Hughes, 2000).
They have come from socialization practices that were created in the 1940s and 1950s (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). During these males were often taught to express their anger and females were quite often taught to suppress it (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). Many individuals are still taught this same thing even though gender roles are changing to some extent (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). Some of the more contemporary research has indicated that this specific different socialization has a strong impact (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). For example, studies that have looked at school-age children and adults ranging from 19 to 92 years old indicate that women and girls have much higher scores in suppression and control of their anger whereas men and boys score much higher in expressing it (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000).
Women are expected to feel comfortable in expressing sadness, happiness, and fear, but should feel reluctant in exhibiting pride or anger (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). Men are expected to do the reverse (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). There are different motivations for men and women and this may have something to do with the gender differences (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). A woman having a reluctance to express anger is generally associated with the idea that there will be negative consequences to interpersonal relationships if she does so (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). However, a man expressing anger is often associated with the expectation of power and status (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). These are very important for this individual to maintain and therefore the consequences that this anger has on relationships are less of a concern (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000).
Men tend to be angry much more often when they do not get the recognition that they feel they should and women tend to become angry more often when they get criticism in front of other individuals (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). It is possible that this anger is linked to shameful feelings that come from identities that are unwanted (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). Most women feel shameful when they are expected to be insensitive and dominant whereas men appear to be shameful when they are expected to exhibit little control over a situation or any type of incompetence (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). The large amount of shame that comes from these undesirable qualities leads individuals to become angry (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000).
Sometimes they can keep it to themselves but other times they lash out toward others in an effort to dispel their anger (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). There have been other studies, however, that have seen no gender differences when it comes to anger (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). Studies done in the early to mid-1980s that looked at community residents and undergraduate students showed that men and women had no difference either in what provoked their anger or in the intensity, frequency, level, or open expression of anger (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000). The only difference that was seen within that study was that women were approximately four times more likely to cry when they were angry that men were (Ferguson, Eyre, & Ashbaker, 2000).
Another study conducted on the same issue showed that there were different unwanted identities that men and women had which prompted anger and shame but no gender differences were seen in the suppression or expression of anger (Bhatnagar, 1988). Still further studies indicated that daily provocations did not create any type of difference in the anger reactions that women and men had (Bhatnagar, 1988). There has been little empirical support for anger and gender differences and any differences that were alleged were seen more often in samples that looked at depression and other women's mental health issues with anger suppression and aggression and other men's mental health issues with anger expression (Bhatnagar, 1988).
Although there are very few of them, some empirical studies indicated that the other significant influence is based on gender roles in behavior and problems with anger in the workplace. Women in the workplace generally work on a traditional basis where they receive approval from other individuals and therefore have less interpersonal strain and stress (Bartz, Blume & Rose, 1996). This traditional approach, however, may work to undermine the success that they have in their careers (Bartz, Blume & Rose, 1996). Women who are more interested in being leaders have indicated that they feel they have to control their anger because interpersonal relationships would suffer if they expressed it (Bartz, Blume & Rose, 1996).
These individuals have to cope with a great deal of work-related stress and a reaction to stress which is very common is anger (Bartz, Blume & Rose, 1996). There are many similarities with workplace anger even when the fact that many women often work in different environments than men are taken into consideration (Bartz, Blume & Rose, 1996). Men are more likely to work for male supervisors or work with male co-workers and women often work with a majority of female co-workers (Bartz, Blume & Rose, 1996). Despite this, however, anger provoking issues and anger expression within the workplace seem to be independent of this issues (Bartz, Blume & Rose, 1996).
There were two significant gender differences found within one study and it was hypothesized that these came from being socialized differently (Bem, 1977). It had to do with the fact that men reported working many more hours a week than women did and it possibly reflects the expectations of society that men should work more and women should remain home to care for children and other issues (Bem, 1977). Women that were included in that same study wrote much longer narratives about their issues and feelings which reflected the expectation of society that women tend to be more open with explaining their thoughts and feelings than men do (Bem, 1977).
Analyzing the gender roles of individuals helps to clarify many of the previous reports that the workplace anger issue was affected by gender (Kopper & Epperson, 1991). Regardless of the gender of the individual, individuals that felt more feminine were more likely to be supervised by females and those that felt more masculine were more likely to report that they had male supervisors (Kopper & Epperson, 1991). Masculine individuals also reported working with generally male colleagues whereas those who were feminine were much less likely to do this (Kopper & Epperson, 1991). Findings such as those are consistent with previous research which indicated that women who consider themselves more feminine choose traditionally female dominant fields for their careers and therefore they are stuck with limited pay and status (Kopper & Epperson, 1991).
Men who are more masculine tend to look for career fields that are traditionally dominated by men and therefore they have the chance for intellectual challenge, independent achievement, and quite a good deal of wealth and status (Kopper & Epperson, 1991). Individuals who are androgynous or do not consider themselves particularly excessively masculine or feminine did not show any work environment differences (Kopper & Epperson, 1991). This would seem to indicate that individuals are much more likely to look for work environments congruent with the gender role that they have rather than with what physical sex they actually are (Kopper & Epperson, 1991).
Overall, however, these findings indicate that not gender, but the actual gender role that one plays, may actually need to be considered in research that is done in the future when dealing with anger in the workplace. Gender was not strictly related to any specific category of anger issues, but being feminine in the gender role aspect did help influence the relationships that an individual had with co-workers and how that individual felt about those relationships (Gianakos, 2000). Expectations for various gender roles would suggest that those who were more masculine would be more interested in and sensitized to work context issues such as advancement opportunities and higher pay, but the findings that were done in various studies on this issue were not strong enough to be significant (Gianakos, 2000).
There is such a great variety of jobs available today and there are so many different motivations for work among the participants in studies that gender roles as an issue may be somewhat masked as they are related to workplace anger and difficulties (Greenglass, 1995). The activities of some of the individuals studied ranged from part-time jobs in order to help pay for expenses for college to positions in management that were held by a person that had over 20 years of experience in this issue (Greenglass, 1995). For some of these participants it appears that the current employment that they have is only temporary and therefore advancement and pay raises are not things that they are actually looking toward (Greenglass, 1995).
Individuals that have been in their chosen field and in a particular company for a great deal of time are much more concerned about pay, benefits, and status than these part-time individuals that are working their way through college or waiting until they can get a better job (Greenglass, 1995). Having such a variety of jobs may also account for why the anger coping styles and the gender role effects of these were not significant in many studies (Greenglass, 1995). Many of the individuals that were examined were not in managerial positions in many of the positions could be considered quite short-term (Greenglass, 1995). Because of this they had fewer options that were socially acceptable in which to express their anger (Greenglass, 1995).
Managers or those who had been in permanent positions for quite some time would naturally be allowed to display a little bit more anger as long as it did not become harassing or abusive than those that are new to the job or are working in temporary positions (Greenglass, 1995). There is some support for this idea in that workers that have been on their jobs a long time and work many more hours a week are often much more likely to use control related as opposed to escape related ways of coping with anger, stress, and other problems (Greenglass, 1995). Many of the studies that have been done about this issue deal primarily with Caucasian individuals that come from working-class backgrounds (Greenglass, 1995).
Individuals who are gainfully employed and are not working part-time jobs and other types of jobs to attend college may help to clarify the influence that gender roles have on anger in the workplace (Averill, 1983). Different job levels may also be a concern (Averill, 1983). However, what does become clear is that, regardless of the gender, workers are still very angry about many things (Averill, 1983). Most of these anger related issues involved others that they work with, but a significant number also seem to involve supervisors (Averill, 1983).
Anger is linked not only to poor psychological health but to poorer physical health as well and it is therefore thought that much of this unresolved anger that is dealt with in the workplace on a day-to-day basis may indicate why productivity is lower and absentee rates are higher among many employees today (Averill, 1983). The economic recession that is going on the United States is also another factor because employees are becoming increasingly angrier about the reduction of workforces, the loss of benefits, and the lack of pay raises and promotions that are taking place (Averill, 1983). Employees generally expect that the loyalty that they have to companies should be rewarded with security in their jobs and these employees are finding that they have no job security anymore and therefore they do not really see the need to have a great deal of loyalty either (Averill, 1983).
Concluding Information
Those who advocate coupling work and life together have complained for years that taking personal time away from employees and upsetting the balance that they have between work and life ultimately hurts the productivity, concentration, and commitment to their job. Surveys that have been done by various management consulting firms show that almost 85% of high-level executives believe that there is a correlation between how companies treat their workers and the profitability that these companies have (Martin & Watson, 1997). Seventy-one percent of the same individuals indicate that the companies that they work for use decision-making teams instead of allowing just one individual to choose (Martin & Watson, 1997).
That study indicated that there was a pattern being created in many companies today that works toward balancing the interests of the employees with those of other stakeholders within the company. The workplace is more diverse than it ever has been in the past, but it is also much more complex. When overworked and overstressed employees become backstabbers, criticizers, busybodies, and others, the stress mounts until these or other employees eventually file lawsuits. Companies are forced, in turn, to seek out insurance to protect them from this type of lawsuit and therefore they pay high premiums for this.
In dealing with the aggression that often comes to the surface of the workplace managers and other employers need to create a strategy that deals with mental health and behavioral problems within the workplace (Martin & Watson, 1997). This must remain consistent with the prevailing ideas that management has for that company and responsive to changes in the organization as well. Specific incidents that arise in a company should be studied, because not all companies are alike when it comes to what kinds of problems they have with employee behavior (Martin & Watson, 1997).
Interventions should be created that address these specific issues instead of a general idea that often does not work well. Job requirements and improved communication are also things that companies might want to consider (Martin & Watson, 1997). Working with these issues so that employees that will be hired on would have confirmed expectations in greater numbers would also be very helpful for many companies. Having a mismatch between what an employee needs and expects and what kind of job and structure the employee actually ends up with tend to provoke many emotional effects and these include not only anger but the intention to leave that job and do something else in the future.
Chapter Three
Methodology
Research Design and Approach
The approach to this particular study is considered to be really a relatively simple one, but it is also a very important one, and it makes the most sense for the information that is available and the answers that the researcher seeks to find in this particular study. Instead of conducting interviews with various managers and employees, which would be very time consuming and difficult, the information for the analysis will come from what was gathered out of the studies in the literature review. The collected data of others will be thus utilized in order to determine whether the problem of how best to handle anger and conflict in the workplace can be answered, or whether more needs to be known.
While many studies interview subjects or conduct surveys, analyzing and reviewing the work of others is still quite a common method for many researchers to use when conducting a study of this nature. This is especially true for a subject such as this where there is so much information available in articles and studies, and when that information goes back so far. This field has been studied for many years, and this provides a wealth of information that deals with the issue and those smaller issues that surround it. Were it not for this information, it would be necessary to conduct a costly and time consuming method of study that would provide enough data for the current research. Since there is so much relevant information already available, however, this will not be necessary.
An approach such as this one showcases the information that was collected by others in the literature review and also allows that information to be examined and studied in a way that might be different from the ways that other researchers used it or from the ways that the information has already been presented in articles and other studies, thus broadening the field and the understanding of the information provided.
It is for this reason that the researcher has chosen to use this particular method when it comes to this study of anger management and conflict in the workplace. The information is already there, but the way that it is presented and what can be done to show what it really means can always be looked at and changed in some way that helps to clarify what was originally said and what the researcher is trying to show in the current study. This not only showcases the information that is already available, but presents it in such a way as to bring new consideration to what is being examined.
This is an important aspect of the study because information about managers, employees, and how they work together must all be provided when the data is analyzed. Although most of the literature review deals with managers of businesses, there are also implications about the other groups of individuals that need to be discussed when dealing with anger and conflict (such as others that are in positions of leadership in some way) and therefore the information that was collected is very valuable.
Not all approaches work well for all studies, and care must be taken to ensure that the proper approach is utilized so that the study will be the best that it can be and make the most sense for all involved who read it. It is also important that the study impart the information that it is designed for, so that it will answer the question that was really asked. While there is no reason to assume that this is the only approach that will work, it is reasonable to assume that it is one of few approaches that will work, and that trying to utilize too many approaches or working with one that would be unfamiliar to the researcher would be difficult and would result in problems with the rest of the study.
Population and Sample
The database for the study will be relatively large, simply because there is so much information available. Approximately 25 articles and studies that dealt with this subject will be consulted, used in the literature review, and used for data collection as well. By doing this, the database will be much larger than it would have otherwise been, and it will also provide much more information than the researcher might have collected on his or her own with surveys.
Some of this comes from the sheer volume of information that has been compiled, and some of it comes from the fact that the researcher could potentially forget to ask a particular question that might be important later, or could possibly word something in such a way that it would be misinterpreted and therefore not provide the researcher with the information that he really needs to deal with the problem statement that was presented earlier. This is one of the main dangers with surveys, as there are always mistakes that could be made or issues that could be problematic when the wrong questions are asked, or even when the right questions are asked in the wrong way.
The number of surveys that could be sent out and would be returned would also be relatively small, and this would not allow for as much pertinent information as the information that could be collected from books and articles that have already been written on the subject. By using this larger database of studies, a much more complete picture of the issue can be created and the information that the researcher uses can be considered to be sufficient to provide understanding and answers for the study.
As to the validity of the data, it would appear that information contained in studies that were written specifically about this subject would be considered to be valid. Since the studies are not works of fiction, they are assumed to be genuine information that has been legitimately acquired and verified. It would be impossible, however, for this researcher to verify everything that is read in these studies to ensure that it was accurate. Due to this, the assumption must be made that the authors of these studies wrote what was genuine and accurate, and that they did not cut corners or create something that they knew was not actually as truthful as it could have been. There is always the possibility that honest mistakes were innocently made, and these cannot be helped.
The data, however, is valid for this particular study because it deals with the subject of positive reinforcement and self-discipline in a way that is assumed to be factual, and because the studies that have been used are dealing with the subject that the researcher wishes to address. In other words, they are the kind of studies and informational writings that one would expect the researcher to use when considering this issue and therefore deal with the same information that this particular study looks at.
Since the data itself comes from studies done by others, it is not original to this study. In other words, it was not been created specifically for this particular study. However, the data is original in the fact that it is being presented and analyzed in an original way. That gives some originality, if not specifically to the data, at least to the study. Creating original data would be a time consuming and costly process, and would also be largely unnecessary when there is so much other information that is already available and could be used for this study.
Collection of Data
Because of the approach to this particular study, the method that will be used to gather the data will consist of an analysis of the information that was presented in the literature review. All of the information found in the literature review articles could not possibly be incorporated into the literature review, but a great deal of it is in there. Other information that was read and understood but was not able to fit into the literature review will also be used in determining the answers that will be incorporated into the data analysis that will take place in Chapter Four, although enough new information will not be introduced to confuse or upset the reader in any way.
When collecting the data, however, the articles that were used for the literature review will be carefully examined so that any pertinent information can be included in the literature review and information that is contained in these articles and studies can be compiled for use in the chapter on data analysis. This is necessary, because there is so much information available on the subject, and because the information goes back in time such a long way. Anger management has always been an issue, even if it has been addressed in slightly different ways over time. It has not always been such a concern in the workplace, but it is important to know where the issue of anger management and how leaders deal with it comes from. Using only what would fit in the literature review would not really do justice to the issue at hand and would only touch the surface.
While this may seem like a simple way to gather data, the sheer volume of information that must be sifted through and considered makes the process somewhat time consuming. Not as time consuming, however, as surveys or other ways of gaining information, which can take much longer while the researcher compiles them, makes sure they are appropriate and will provide the necessary information, mails them out, and waits for them to be returned. Often, very few of the surveys are actually completed and returned, and this makes the process of collecting enough information rather difficult. Most managers and employees, especially of large companies, do not wish to take the time to complete surveys for a study.
By using data that has been previously collected elsewhere and compiling it for the purpose and intent of this study, the researcher carefully avoids all of the problems that can come from surveys that do not ask the right questions and from individuals who are unwilling to participate and return the surveys that have been sent to them. The time is shorter when the data from the literature review is used, and the amount of information is much larger than what could have been collected by any other realistic means.
The literature review is also wonderful for gathering data from because the studies that are used provide so much information and are so repetitious in what they have to say. In other words, many of them confirm what others say and so it makes sense to look at these studies as an important collection of what has been said about this subject and what will likely continue to be said well into the future.
Data Analysis Procedures
The data analysis will use information that has already been collected by others that have written books and articles about the subject at hand, or about parts of the subject that work to make up the whole. It will generally consist of a great deal of information from articles, but books will also be used to provide some of the data that is so important to the study. This is done for several reasons, but the two most significant ones are time and cost. Attempting to collect new data would be costly, and it would also take up a great deal of time that could be better spent.
Another reason for the use of previously collected material is that it is often very difficult to get individuals or companies to return surveys. With this in mind, just collecting the data could prove very difficult and upsetting, and delay the study for quite some time. In an effort to avoid this problem, the researcher has chosen to utilize the material of others that have already been published, giving credit where it is due, and use that information in a way that is unique to the study based on qualitative analysis.
One advantage to doing this is that the database for the study is quite large. This is due to the fact that there are so many books and articles published about this issue. Not all of them are studies, but they still contain a great deal of information, and that information can then be used by the researcher to create a study that examines the issue of anger, conflict, and management, and draw conclusions about the best methods for managers and employees to avoid conflict and other problems in the workplace that often stem from anger over various issues. It is quite possible that many companies operate on the idea that this is not a problem for them and they do not need to address the issue or have any kind of policy about it, and that is also a subject for consideration.
Since the information presented for analysis is not new, it must be examined in a way that is new, or the study will have little point. An effort has been made to ensure that this is done, since it is one of the most important aspects of a study. Studies must have something new to present, and if the data that they use is not original they must present something new and important in some other way, such as the way that the information is examined.
The data used for the study is judged to be valid because it deals with the issues discussed in the study and because it comes from sources that are seen as being reliable and significant in the scope of the issue. The limitations that are created by the previously created data and the qualitative plans for the study are not that large, but they are important, and they have been carefully noted so as to ensure that the researcher is aware of them.
In the following chapter, the data will be analyzed and studied so that a determination can be made as to whether the problem statement is a valid one, whether it must be adjusted to be valid, or whether further study into the issue is needed. This is the most important thing that will be done in this study, and a thorough understanding of how this will be carried out is very important to ensure that the reader is aware of what is being done and whether there has been success at the completion of the study.
Studies often end by being uncertain as to whether the problem statement is valid or whether the question asked has truly been answered. This study is likely no exception to this rule, but every effort has been made to see that the study is as clear as possible and that it validates or invalidates the problem statement as much as it is able to with the information collected. This is very important, because many studies do not actually draw conclusions that are thorough and strongly based on what was collected.
This does not mean that these studies have no validity or worth, but only that there is much more that could have been done with them. There are undoubtedly reasons that these researchers of the past went only so far and then left the issue, but an effort is made here to draw firm conclusions from the information that has been collected on the issue. While it may not be possible to ensure that the conclusions that are drawn are the definitive answer to the problem, it is possible for the researcher to use information collected to show that the ideas presented here and solid and valid, and that there are specific directions in which new research can grow and flourish.
This expansion of research is important, because there is much more to the issue of anger and conflict in the workplace than most people realize. Those that research the issue, however, quickly realize the volume of information available and the concerns that many employees have when dealing with their happiness and safety in the workplace. These concerns are very valid and important to those that have them, and therefore should be seen to be important to those that manage them as well.
Chapter Four
Analysis of the Data
When analyzing the data for studies such as this it is often somewhat difficult because qualitative studies do not lend themselves quite as easy to an analysis of the data as those of a more quantitative nature do. Much of this has to do with the fact that there is no specific statistical analysis that can be utilized for studies of this kind. However, analyzing the data is a part of any type of study and therefore it is very important that the best analysis of the given and collected data possible be conducted based on qualitative means.
In this section information will be discussed involving guidelines for employees and managers, as both must do their part to ensure that their workplace is safe, respectable, non-threatening, and comfortable. It cannot be expected that the employees must deal with anger and conflict problems without the help of management, but it also cannot be expected that the management must always get involved in every petty dispute that takes place if it can reasonably be solved between the employees having the difficulty. No specific lists of guidelines will be spelled out, but general comments will be made about what should be done for both of these groups to provide as little anger and conflict in the workplace as possible and to diffuse upsetting situations that might arise.
Practices and examples of things that work well in the workplace and in other areas of life are both important and it is important to talk about these issues of how to change angry or aggressive behavior through rewarding individuals with various means. While this may sound like something that would be done for a child, adults also respond very well to positive reinforcement if it is used correctly and therefore it is something that managers should consider when they are determining how to handle problematic situations. For managers, it is somewhat difficult to set up specific guidelines because these individuals have generally less contact with the employees than the other employees do.
These managers, therefore, may not be as strongly aware of the problems that might be arising among their workforce. However, managers are an important part of the company, and because they make up such a large part of the rules and regulations of any given company they must know how to deal with the employees that they watch over and also to deal with the middle managers and other individuals that are not on the same level as high-ranking management but are nevertheless higher ranking than the general employees
Managers should not only be able to talk to their employees appropriately but must also be able to get across the guidelines and information that is so desperately needed when employees are having anger management and/or conflict issues that must be addressed. On the other hand, these same managers must be able to discuss all of the positive issues that employees are involved in as well so that they can give positive reinforcement to these employees for what they have done right. In other words, diffusing anger not only comes from finding that angry person and telling them to stop or offering to help them, but also for praising them for the times that they display a strong amount of self-control and self-discipline where their anger is concerned.
For example, the manager should be able to meet with employees and talk with them about any issues that they may have regarding other employees or any issues that the employee is having in that particular job, but should also be able to turn around and talk to the employee about what he or she is doing that is an asset to the company or to a particular project in general. This should be done in a manner that does not make the employee uncomfortable, as feeling uncomfortable is one of the problems that employees most often have with managers. This is largely believed to be because many of these employees feel that managers who are higher up in the ranks of a company are upsetting and worrying figures who are looking to punish them for some unknown wrongdoing. This can be an especially strong concern for those employees that work at large companies and have very little contact with those in the high ranks of management. Meeting and talking with these people, especially if there is a problem to be addressed, can be very nerve-wracking for these employees.
Employees have been the victim of this type of concern for many years and it does not appear as though it will be stopping anytime soon. However, most managers are actually very caring people or they would not be attempting to help their employees and better society for the future. It is sometimes difficult for these individuals to ensure that they are acting in a way that employees feel comfortable with because they have a great deal of stress and strain in their jobs quite often and they have to worry about budgets and many other concerns that the employees are often unaware of.
By being open and honest with employees, the management can not only give a great deal of positive reinforcement but also receive it and help to avoid anger and conflict in the workplace. Another good point about being open an honest with employees is that it makes these employees feel more comfortable about talking about their problems and speaking to those in management about whatever might be bothering them. In other words employees who speak to managers that they have come to know do not feel as though they will be punished every time they see an authority figure.
The same information that is true for managers is basically also true for employees. This is largely because all of them are involved in the task of making the company work and be productive. However, what a manager has to deal with and what an employee has to deal with on a daily basis in the scope of their jobs are still quite different in many ways.
Much of this has to do with the fact that not as much is expected of the employee as it is of the manager. Many of them do not have the same types of degrees or educational requirements and many of them are not expected to deal with the seriousness of some of the issues that managers must face. There are ways to put others at ease, though, that are often relatively simple, and these should be employed by managers that wish to have a good relationship with their employees and gain their confidence. A smile or a genuine compliment often goes a long way, whether one is an employee or a manager, toward making friends and putting individuals at ease. It is something that often comes quite naturally to most individuals and usually people can tell when it is honest and sincere or when it is being faked.
Managers must ensure that they take good care of their employees and be honest with them so that they can expect the same from those employees. Managing anger in the workplace can be difficult, but it begins with treating others right. As has generally been seen in the review of the literature, however, there are many more specific issues that deal with workplace anger than most managers realize. Many of the individuals that are involved in the workplace today are very angry about specific issues and until these types of issues are actually resolved it appears as though this trend will continue.
This is disturbing because many of these individuals have anger management issues that really should be resolved before they become dangerous or violent, or before they sue the company to receive what they feel they have lost. This should not imply that everyone who feels wronged by a company decides to sue, but it is important to understand that lawsuits are very real possibilities for many of these individuals and therefore they pose a grave concern to companies that do not have any type of insurance to avoid the damages that they would face if they received a lawsuit. A great deal of attention should be paid to this anger issue by managers and supervisors and companies today because they are often the ones that employees blame the most.
Even though it appears that many employees are very angry with many of their co-workers, they often blame management instead or at least in addition to that particular co-worker. Many of this comes from the idea that management should be aware of what is going on in the organization at all times and if there is a problem between workers management should step in and take care of it. Some companies will try to do this but for the most part co-workers are expected to take care of their disputes among themselves. However, if harassment or the problems go on for long enough and the workers feel that nothing is being done about it is quite possible that they will begin to resent management because they feel that management is turning a blind eye toward what is going on or choosing to see it as insignificant rather than important.
It is when management continues to see things as unimportant or continues to remain oblivious to the problems that a company is facing that employees began to get increasingly more upset with what is going on in an organization. Managers have many things that they can do, as was pointed out in the literature review, in order to help with many of the problems that they would face by ignoring the situation.
Naturally, not everything that goes on in the workplace can be noticed every minute by management, and not every unhappy employee or workplace anger incident can be avoided. It is possible, however, to avoid many of these problems if employees and management are simply willing to work together to try to stop many of the problems that take place and to try to make employees feel as though they are valued. Much of the problems today seem to be the fact that employees are being laid off or fired when they get close to retirement age or in some companies when employees get over the age of 40. This is often seen to be age discrimination and even if the employee was let go for other reasons it is quite likely that he or she may file a lawsuit alleging that he or she was removed because of age, race, or other issues that are illegal.
Employers and companies today must be very careful because of all of the lawsuits that are taking place and they must therefore work even harder to try to dispel much of the anger that has been occurring in workplaces throughout the country in recent years. This is much easier said than done, and information provided about the topic in the literature review and used here for data analysis unfortunately does not provide much good information about what employers can actually due to avoid this.
Much of the research that has been done on the subject indicates that there are problems, that they go across all ages, races, and genders, and that the problems continue to grow because of what is happening to the economy and many companies as they downsize and restructure. However that research, while important, does not give managers much of an insight into what they need to be doing to ensure that it does not happen in their company or that they are protected from lawsuits if they let individuals leave or lay them off. This is something that clearly should be addressed in Chapter Five when recommendations are looked at for further research because it is an area that truly needs to be evaluated and discussed much more thoroughly.
However, the most important things that can be noted here in an analysis of the data is that anger is a growing problem for many companies throughout the world today, and especially in the United States where the economy is so poor right now. It is unfortunate that this is the case but it is also something that will not be going away anytime soon, and may never actually go away. Therefore employers and managers must determine how they are going to handle this problem and what they are going to do about it, rather than try to ignore it and hope that it will leave of its own accord. If left alone, it will simply get worse instead of better and this is very disheartening for individuals that work in many companies today or that are considering starting up businesses where they will be dealing with other employees.
Many would think that managers would not really need to be involved too strongly in this because most workers that report problems and complaints do not report them as belonging to their supervisors but rather as belonging to other co-workers. Many of these problems can be sorted out by the workers that have the difficulties with each other, or by a little help from other co-workers. However, these problems are often much more serious and go much deeper than many individuals realize and when they are ignored by management workers are left to feel as though what they think and feel about their job and the problems at they are having are so insignificant that management refuses to take any type of interest in them at all. Some of the problems may actually be insignificant at that point but there are quite a few that have real significance and important for the individuals that are facing them and often times management does not understand how difficult some co-workers can be or what type of problems these individuals can cause if they are left unattended.
The list of different types of disruptive employees that was shown in Chapter Two can help to indicate this and remind managers that there are many different ways that employees can be disruptive and cause problems. An employee does not have to be loud and unruly or file a lawsuit to cause difficulties with other co-workers, just as an employee does not have to harass someone, sexually or otherwise, to be problematic in the workplace. There are very small, seemingly very innocent, things that many workers can do to cause discord and distrust among various co-workers and when these things happen they undermine the trust and happiness that many individuals have in their jobs.
They also undermine the ability of a manager to take care of these things because they are left to fester in that they reach such a point where management is no longer certain what they should be doing about them or how to correct them. This is something that should be avoided before it begins and the only way to do this is to be ever vigilant and pay a great deal of attention to what workers are doing and saying so that management is more aware of what needs to be done for these workers and how to correct the problems that they are facing. In this way the anger will be lessened and all workers will be made to feel safe and comfortable in their jobs.
Chapter Five
Summary, Recommendations, and Conclusions
Summary
It is important to briefly summarize the information that was collected in this study, provide some conclusions about the information, and provide recommendations for the future of research. In summary, it is easy to determine that anger and conflict definitely has an effect on the workplace and is something that all managers should be aware of. Some still believe that anger is not something that really is a problem within the workplace, but the school of thought currently in session appears to indicate that anger is something that not all individuals can control well and that more managers should spend more time in determining what kinds of things they should be doing to help all of their employees.
It is unfortunate that more managers are not interested in doing this because it is clearly something that is very important. The study in general appears to indicate that anger is a growing problem and that it is not something that can be quickly fixed or adjusted. Anger also comes from many different issues and ideas and is significant because managers that believe they can simply create an anger management policy and have it work well are kidding themselves when it comes to today's global society. A manager must study the company and the employees and no what is causing the anger to accumulate in certain employees for various reasons before this manager can never began to try to correct that problem.
In other words, what works for one company or one manager or one group of people may not work for anyone else. It all depends on the personality of the individuals in question, the type of management style that a manager displays, the type of company that is being examined, the size of the company, and countless other issues such as how well the economy is doing, how well the employees are treated, what they are paid, and how many hours they have to work each week, among other issues. Anger is a very complex thing and so are the issues that surround it when it comes to employee morale and correcting problems within the workplace.
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