Workplace is where we spend most of our time, working in an atmosphere that can be satisfying as well as demanding at the same time. With cut throat competition and deadlines to be met, an otherwise calm person can lose his or her temper and hurl out abuses that can be shocking and demoralizing.
Here are some tips on how to deal with anger at your workplace:
Do not retaliate
It has been found that when an individual is angry, trying to put your point of view or disagreeing with an angry person can trigger his or her anger further and the situation may become worse that before. It is advisable to just maintain silence without agreeing to their point of view, if you feel it is not right. Later, when the personâs anger has ebbed down and he or she can think rationally, you can tactfully put your point across and offer them a different perspective. They say silence can win the angriest of the angry. So, make sure that you do not disagree with an angry person at your workplace.Thus, it becomes much easier to deal with anger within ourselves as well as others to make workplace a pleasant place to be in.
Choose pacifying phrases
Showing empathy is half the battle won. You can put in some one-liners that succeed in pacifying the angry person and feel that you are on his or her side. You can make use of phrases such as â I perfectly understand what you feelâ or â What do you think is the right approach?â You can empathize with the angry person at workplace and offer your momentary support to bring down his or her temper. This makes the person feel a little more accommodating to the situation and he or she may listen to reason. Once the situation is diffused, you can sit down with the angry colleague, sort out the problem in a more positive and practical way. If he is genuinely miffed, he will sit across the table and be ready to work out a satisfying solution.
Look at the scenario as an outsider
If you are in a midst of an angry outburst at your workplace, the first thing you need to do, is to detach yourself from the situation and remain unperturbed by the goings-on. You need to relax, take a deep breath and calm yourself to handle the outburst in the right perspective. You should turn completely unemotional for some time; even if it may be your close colleague who is involved. This will allow you a clear view of the entire scenario and judge whether the anger was justified or not. After careful analysis, you can softly suggest some solutions that would resolve the issue in an amicable manner and bring back the bonhomie. As soon as you begin to get emotionally involved, you cannot visualize the situation in a rational manner and you may not come up with positive solutions to combat the angry outbursts. Viewing the scenario as an outsider gives you the correct analysis to cool the embers
Communicate with body language
Communicating with the right facial gestures and body language can make a whale of a difference in dealing with anger at workplace. You can communicate with pacifying actions and an empathetic expression depicting that you perfectly understand the cause of their anger. Eye contact and sending home strong signals that the anger is justified can fetch you positive results in combating short tempers. Make sure that you do not make any controversial expressions such as a wry face or a scornful look while dealing with angry colleagues. You will be read in the wrong sense and this may aggravate the issue instead of diffusing it.
Develop a strategy
Staying at the same workplace for quite some time will make you understand the moods and temperaments of all your colleagues. You can categorize those who lose their temper and the reason why they do so. Develop a strategy to deal with such colleagues who show angry outbursts at the slightest provocation. Prepare yourself well in advance as to how you would react. Avoid the triggering factors as far as possible. A strategic approach can surely help you ease your work pressure and not get hassled at witnessing anger at your work place. Dealing with anger at work place is not as difficult as it seems. All you need is a little understanding and patience to come out of it unscathed.
