Anger in Small Business

Large corporations usually have someone in a Human Resource Department who handles problems such as employees who regularly lose their temper with co-workers or supervisors. The employee might be summoned to the Human Resource office, much like an insubordinate student is sent to the principal's office. Once Human Resources takes over, the handling of the situation is out of the hands of the immediate supervisor. If a company has an Employee Assistance Program in place, the employee might be required to attend anger management sessions or classes.

When an employee in a small business exhibits angry or hostile behavior, the situation is more likely to pose a threat to the company's productivity on at least two levels. First, the work space in a small business tends to be more confined, with employees working in closer proximity to each other. They can hear and see exactly what transpires. They can feel the tension in the air, resulting in anxiety and apprehension over what will happen next. Attention is diverted frm performing their assigned tasks to listening and watching the angry episode. Secondly, as a result of all this, less work gets done. Perhaps fewer clients or customers get called back, fewer orders get processed, or fewer items get produced. So, both employee satisfaction and the company's profits for the day are lower than they might have been in the absence of the episode.

While small business owners protect their businesses against losses of all kinds, anger in a small workplace can generate hidden losses in the form of employee morale and the company's bottom line. What's your small business' plan for handling hostile situations?