Work can be hard… that’s why they call it "work." Employees are not just drones that live to work, they are people that work to live. People have personal lives and personal problems. People have work problems or personal problems with work. There are many, many things in life that get a person down or raise their anger, but what do you do when they explode in the office?
"Desk rage" is not uncommon and not a new problem. For as long as people have had to work and had problems, there has been desk rage in one form or another. If you ever wondered why people may tend to lose their cool at work, think about how they spend their day. They are in the office for 8 to 10 hours and they spend 1 to 2 in traffic. The remaining 12 to 14 hours is spent at home and over half that time they’re asleep.
When desk rage occurs, it is easy to lose your cool yourself, but if you do it right, you can change a bad situation into a beneficial one; for the employee, the company, and you. From "Ask Annie" at Fortune Magazine, the first step is to blank out your own emotions. Dismiss your fear or anger and realize that it’s about the upset employee, not you. An article at CNN suggests that next you consider what may have caused the outburst.
Ask Annie says next you need to listen to the employee. Don’t argue or pass judgment, just let them talk it out. Often, when the employee says what’s bothering them aloud, they realize that it’s not as bad as they thought – that or something else is actually the problem. Finally, repeat what they said without any comments on your part. Let them know that you have listened to them and understand their frustration.
An outburst from a stressed employee having a bad day is not the end of the world. However, if you often have anger issues coming from this employee, deeper measures should be taken. Talk with them in private and find out why they are so angry. Adjust their workplace environment if that is needed. If anger problems continue to publically exist though, you need provide an ultimatum. If the employee can’t calm down, they can’t work there. Remember, you have to keep the rest of your employees’ sanity in mind too.
