People react to stressful work situations and environments in a variety of ways. In some instances, they may disassociate or otherwise remove themselves from situations and co-workers. Other individuals may lash out in anger due to experiencing continuous stress. When searching for the causes of workplace anger, exhaustion, burnout, and ongoing stress may be playing a significant role. When individuals have jobs that are stressful by nature, this, too, has an obvious impact.
According to a recent survey, 66% of both men and women indicated that their jobs had a significant influence on their personal stress levels. Furthermore, one out of every four of the participants stated that they had to call in sick or take a “mental health day” due to feeling exhausted and stressed. Given the prevalence of workplace stress in the United States, roughly one million employees are absent from their jobs every day. While taking a day off may make a difference for some of these employees, many do not experience the relief that they seek. It’s not uncommon for employees that experience chronic stress to be more susceptible to actually becoming sick, which can potentially lead to more absenteeism.
There are different factors that contribute to job stress. This is usually dependent on the individual employees as well as the overall work environment and dynamic. The results of a January 2017 Medscape Physician Lifestyle Survey, for example, revealed that emergency room doctors experienced more burnout than other types of medical professionals. Over half, or 59% of these doctors, stated that they felt burned-out by their jobs.
When considering all types of physicians, studies have shown that they are much more likely to have issues with their life-work balance when compared with individuals working in other fields. In fact, the results of these studies showed that as a group, physicians were nearly twice as likely to be dissatisfied. Given this, it’s not surprising that physicians become divorced more often than individuals in other professions. Recent figures show that physicians have a ten percent to 20% higher divorce rate.
When employees have challenging home lives along with job stress, this can also cause them to experience life or job burnout. While some people may become anxious or depressed due to this, others will express anger and blame toward others in the workplace. They may even blame management, along with their co-workers, for their problems. Employees that experience difficulties at home, such as a pending divorce, may often make more errors or create workplace conflicts. In many instances, however, these individuals they may not be aware that they are doing this due to being emotionally and physically exhausted.
There are, of course, other causes of workplace anger and stress. Some individuals may feel that they are treated unfairly by management, colleagues, or other staff members. This may occur due to uneven workloads, abrupt schedule changes, or unreasonable project deadlines. Workplace anger can also occur when someone is passed over for a promotion or didn’t receive a raise that they expected or needed. When employees have to work long hours for low pay, this can also lead to outbursts of anger.
Since there are other causes of workplace anger, it’s important to be aware of the potential signs and symptoms. When an event or series of events occur, honest communication is essential. If left unacknowledged and unaddressed, these issues can potentially escalate. This may lead and/or contribute to creating an unhealthy work environment, which is another one of several causes of workplace anger.
While managing anger in the workplace may prove to be challenging at times, it’s important to realize that there are strategies available to address this. When employees have a positive work-life balance, this can potentially reduce workplace stress and anger. It’s also important for employers to have programs in place or bring in a consultant to proactively address these concerns. Workshops on anger management are available, and these can assist employees with discovering the root causes of their anger and learn how to channel this emotion in more positive ways.
