5 Reasons Every Workplace Should Run an Anger Management Course

Anger is just like stress: everyone experiences it, on some level or another, but not everyone knows how to handle it. Anger can be an unpredictable emotion – and a very powerful one, at that. It is a common cause of road rage accidents, highly-publicized disputes, and violent acts of terrorism. But, what about the anger that we deal with on a daily basis? What about anger at the workplace? Even if workplace anger is less explosive, it is in no way less destructive. It undoubtedly affects not only employee performance, but overall business operations. Here are five reasons every workplace should run an anger management course:

Anger-related incidents at the workplace are costly. Angry employees make more mistakes, have a hard time working with others, exhibit poor job performance, and sometimes even cause intentional disruption or damage. Simply put, this adds up in regards to business overhead.

Methods of dealing with anger outside of the workplace aren’t necessarily appropriate for the workplace. It may be necessary to teach employees effective methods for managing anger, as they may not be familiar with such methods.

Anger management is a skill-building discipline. That means that when employees take a course in anger management, they are also learning a variety of other important interpersonal and intrapersonal skills that will make them better employees overall. These skills include assertive communication, rational judgment, impulse control, self-talk, emotional awareness, responding (as opposed to reacting), empathy, and forgiveness.

Skills built through anger management promote an atmosphere of teamwork. When employees know how to better communicate with each other and how to handle their emotional response to stressors, they are better able to work together as a team. This equates to greater productivity in the workplace.

Participation in a workplace anger management course may also translate to a better home life. Employees who are content and satisfied in their home lives are more well-balanced, over all, and tend to perform better on the job.

It may not be as hard as you think to integrate anger management courses into your business plan. Make mandatory completion of the course a company policy, and require that every employee, from every department, take the course. It is especially beneficial for those in human resources, who are responsible for handling employee complaints, and those who manage groups of people, so leave no one out. Anger management is an issue every person faces. Give your employees a one-up by implementing an anger management course as part of your business’s training program.

About the Author: Debra Blair is a full-time writer and blogger with a passion for insurance, business, and money management. She is also a regular contributor at CreditLoan.com.