Some people would say that there’s no such thing as office rage and say that it is just a term used to describe bosses and employees who have short fuses and volatile tempers. Recent research show that many people feel real anger in the workplace. In fact, more than half of all office staff in our so called civilised countries like the UK and the USA has nearly punched a colleague, according to a survey by recruitment agency, Pertemps. In another study,two thirds of office workers admitted to feeling so irritated that they reached a point of “office rage”, with 32% of those admitting that they had confronted it. There are no doubts countless number of situations that can make the blood pressure rise, but top of the list certainly includes the annoying habits of colleagues, or maybe just the colleagues themselves! And increasingly it is the new technologies that have us on the back foot, coping with incessantly ringing mobile phones, email overload and crashing IT systems. In an ideal office scenario, everyone is going to like each other, appreciate each others’ strengths and capabilities, provide support for any weaknesses, and work as a team to achieve business objectives. In reality, there is going to be gossiping, back stabbing and personality clashes. Usually this is just a part of normal office life, and any potential tension remains simmering below the surface. However, there may come a time when employees – for whatever reason – suddenly come to loggerheads and beware anyone who is in the line of fire. The office introvert may suddenly unleash months of pent up frustration and annoyance. Most personality clashes can be controlled and even resolved simply by providing employees with the necessary support and resources they need to do their jobs. If their work life is not stressful, then they are far less likely to blow their top! Every office has a ‘hummer’.That could be the knuckle cracker, loud talker, paper shuffler or teeth grinder who drives the entire office insane. Most employees suffer in silence, grimacing through gritted. Rather than letting the situation escalate until the point that someone inevitably explodes, Steps should be taken to speak to the offender. Chances are they have no idea that they are annoying everyone. The continually ringing mobile phone can annoy just about anyone, especially with the raft of ring tones all in competition with each other, from local Kinyarwanda music to the latest American hit. The simple answer is – create a mobile policy. If someone’s phone rings once when they’re out or at a meeting, they get a warning, if it rings again, then they’re banned from having it switched on at the workplace. Everyone’s inbox seems to be flooded with emails these days, and while we wonder how we ever lived without it, there comes a point when you say ‘enough is enough’. There is usually one or two culprits in a business who for whatever reason feel the need to copy or forward every single person into the one email, often for no other reason than ‘for your information’. Increasingly, it is not only people that bear the brunt of our frustrations but also computers and other office equipment – particularly those that crash, jam, breakdown or perform in such a way that does not meet with our expectations. And you can be sure that the misbehaving piece of machinery will choose the moment you have an urgent deadline to meet as the best time to put up its hands and die. But we surely know that technology is not always going to work, so it is important that you have suitable back ups in place. And finally whether its colleagues who steal staplers and pens from desks without returning them or excessive workloads to people who regularly use powerful sprays and potions, if you find yourself in any of the above situations, then getting your anger under control is imperative. Exploding in a fit of office rage will ultimately harm no one but yourself or your business.Think about your anger, and decide whether it really makes sense given the situation. Are you overreacting, or blaming someone else for other frustrations? If you manage to control your anger when all you really want to do is burst – then this is clearly an achievement in itself. Ends
