Aggression and furious anger displayed in the workplace is unprofessional, deconstructive and leaves others sharing the environment feeling uncomfortable and ill at ease. It is vital that we all pull a lesson out of the anger management handbook and find ways on how to manage and control hostile outbursts at work so as to not make working conditions unpleasant and unwelcoming for those around us.

There are two polar ideas referring to anger and its existence in the workplace both of which are valid but not necessarily right. Pacifists argue that anger is negative, completely deconstructive and counterproductive to creating a healthy working environment conducive for employees to tap into their highest level of output. The other school of thought supports the notion that the expression of anger is a release of energy that unless expressed, cannot be yielded to produce forward motion.

In truth, anger and the infuriation that you feel when things don't work out the way you had anticipated them to, is not necessarily where the problem lies with anger management. The problem with managing anger in the workplace is learning how to express this without squashing company moral and frightening off those around you. How we choose to express the anger that we feel when faced with a situation at work determines the overall outcome of such events. Anger in the workplace becomes a problem when emotions are heightened beyond the point of rational control and constructive direction. Negative anger comes in the form of furious confrontation or passive aggression, both of which are paralysing to forward motion.

The biggest challenge faced when managing fury in the workplace, is keeping a level head about you and directing your anger in a positive direction. As with physics, a negative attracts a positive and thus out of any negative situation, so a positive outcome may be achieved depending on how well we utilise the passion that anger stirs in us.

Here are some tips to practice when directing your anger, managing it and ensuring the best possible outcome is achieved in the most positive of ways.

Anger management Tip One: Define the Trigger

Understanding what it is that has in fact made you as furious as you are, is the first step that needs to be followed when trying to get a handle on your temper. Define the 'what, when, who, how and why' of the situation and get a clear picture of what has upset you so. In doing so you will be less likely to add more emotion to the expression of your anger and defuse the situation based on its face value and not from an emotionally sensitive standpoint.

Anger Management Tip Two: Could you have controlled the Outcome of the Situation?

Understand how much control you have over the situation. Whatever has made you angry at work is it worth the feisty energy or was the outcome unavoidable from the offset. Often when adverse events occur they come about as a result of external factors that are beyond our control. While still aggravating and disappointing, by getting angry at outcomes that could not be avoided is a waste of such 'angry energy'. By assessing the level of control over the situation and accepting that certain things are out of your control is a solid way of remaining calm and avoiding unnecessary outbursts of anger.

Anger Management Tip Three: Don't be Stubborn to Possible Resolution

Often when situations are emotionally charged, the first thing to fly out the window is sensibility and reason. The more we cut off our noses, to spite our faces, the more frustrated we become and the more workplace anger is heightened. Be rational about the situation that has given rise to your anger and look for potential solutions that could solve the problem before allowing your anger to get the better of you. When alternative solutions to a negative situation are present, diverting your anger to these as opposed to getting angry for the sake of getting angry will defuse the emotion and move the situation forward in a productive manner.

Anger Management Tip Four: Listen to your Heart

Pay attention to your heart rate and try to keep calm by controlling your breathing. While this may sound like a cop-out, it is a medical fact that through your breath you can control your heart rate and anxiety levels. Try to maintain a controlled intake and out-flow of oxygen and in doing so your heart rate will remain stable along with oxygen levels in your brain and throughout your body, as a result you will feel more under control and less likely to become more aggravated.

Anger Management Tip Five: Practice the 3 P's; Professionalism, Patience and Positivity

There is nothing professional about having a habit of flying off the handle in a fit of anger when things don't go your way in the office. Try to govern your actions with a high level of professionalism and positivity. The more impatient you become the more your anger will grow, the faster your positivity will fail, and professionalism will decrease. Try to tap into the three p's and practice each of these when faced with an infuriating scenario. The higher level of positivity, patience and professionalism you can display the calmer you will remain along with those around you.

Expressing anger is a very human response to common factors that tend to upset us throughout our day. When anger is correctly channelled, expressed productively and controlled during heated situations, it in fact serves as a motivating force in finding solutions to adverse events requiring our immediate attention with efficiency and forward motion.

Copyright (c) 2009 Camilla Patten