There are many triggers of anger in the workplace — from a colleague stealing your stapler to a coworker passing off your idea as his or her own during a department meeting to a supervisor reprimanding you in front of colleagues. It may not even be about a specific person. The anger may be caused by an event, such as a traffic jam, or it could be caused by worrying about your personal problems, such as financial concerns.

Whatever the cause, anger in the workplace — or desk rage, as it's come to be called — is on the rise.

"Nearly half of U.S. workers in America report yelling and verbal abuse on the job, with roughly a quarter saying it has driven them to tears" Reuters recently reported based on research.

"It runs the gamut from just rudeness up to pretty extreme abusive behaviors," Paul Spector, professor of industrial and organizational psychology at the University of South Florida, told Reuters.

According to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive last year for the Marlin Company, 11 percent of workers are aware of an assault or violent act in their workplace. Moreover, 28 percent of employees reported they have been so stressed at work in the last year that they have screamed on the job, and 20 percent have been driven to cry.

Sexual harassment and workplace violence might be the two best-known examples of workplace anger and hostility. Yet anger and hostility can manifest themselves in other less dramatic — but no less insidious — ways that can have a hugely negative effect on a workplace (and business).

Among what many researchers, business owners, employees and legislators have deemed as common causes of workplace anger: general harassment; employee favoritism; insensitivity; unfair performance appraisals; criticism in front of staff or clients (public shaming); rude interruptions; lack of teamwork; betrayal of trust; unreasonable demands; lack of resources needed to meet objectives; promises not kept; inflexible; poor communication; absentee leadership; a micro-managerial environment and more. (For more, see Encyclopedia of Small Business: Workplace Anger)

"Sometimes, our anger and frustration are caused by very real and inescapable problems in our lives," says the American Psychological Association (APA). "Not all anger is misplaced, and often it's a healthy, natural response to these difficulties."

Other times, anger builds, perhaps slowly, until someone eventually explodes in a fit of (self-) destruction. In sales or service alone, a temper tantrum can really affect the bottom line. The ripple effects are never very good. Feelings are hurt, hostility is created, resentments are forged, property is damaged or, in the worst cases, violence is carried out. An angry, even toxic, environment is marked by lousy morale, excessive employee absenteeism or turnover, and myriad other undesired conditions.

It is important to defuse your anger before it goes too far. This is especially true in the workplace, where losing your temper can result in termination or even legal action.

Strategies to Take Things in Stride
The APA offers some tips for keeping anger at bay. These include the following:

Use Simple Relaxation Tools — Deep breathing, relaxing imagery, repeating calm words or phrases (e.g., "relax" or "take it easy") and muscle-relaxing, non-strenuous exercises can help calm down angry feelings, the APA recommends.

Change the Way You Think — Use logic rather than succumbing immediately to anger, as "anger, even when it's justified, can quickly become irrational." Suggests the APA: "Remind yourself that getting angry is not going to fix anything, that it won't make you feel better (and may actually make you feel worse)."

Address the Problem — "Make a plan, and check your progress along the way. Resolve to give it your best, but also not to punish yourself if an answer doesn't come right away," says the APA. "If you can approach it with your best intentions and efforts and make a serious attempt to face it head-on, you will be less likely to lose patience and fall into all-or-nothing thinking, even if the problem does not get solved right away."

Communicate Better — If you're in a frustrating conversation, slow down and think through your responses carefully. At the same time, listen carefully to what the other person is saying. "It's natural to get defensive when you're criticized, but don't fight back," the APA notes. Keep your cool and don't say the first thing that pops into your head.

Change Your Environment — It may be that it's your immediate surroundings that is frustrating and infuriating you. Take a break, recommends the APA: "Make sure you have some 'personal time' scheduled for times of the day that you know are particularly stressful."

Find an Alternative — If it's your daily commute in traffic that has you fuming from the outset of the day, map out a different, less-congested or scenic route. Or consider an alternative form of commuting to work, such as a carpool, train or bus.

"Frustrations at work are natural and normal," Odette Pollar, president of Smart Ways to Work, has written at AHealthyMe.com. "Like coping with stress, it is how we deal with them that determines whether they are destructive."

Resources

Controlling Anger - Before It Controls You
The American Psychological Association

Encyclopedia of Small Business: Workplace Anger
Enotes.com

Desk Rage Spoils Workplace for Many Americans
Reuters, July 10, 2008

13th Annual "Attitudes in the American Workplace" Poll
The Marlin Company, Oct. 3, 2007

How to Handle Anger in the Workplace
by Odette Pollar
AHealthyMe.com, July 10, 2008 (last updated)