Workplace anger is one of the many symptoms of burnout. So when looking at the causes of workplace anger, you really need to look at the causes of workplace burnout. Burnout is most common in high demand professions.
One study showed that nearly half of all doctors displayed at least one of the symptoms of burnout. Nationally, it is believed that the overall burnout rate among physicians is 35%, which suggests that hospitals, clinics, and other employers of physicians are not putting processes in place to ensure their employees stay healthy and maintain a healthy work/life balance.
Physicians under the age of 35 have the highest rate of burnout. Doctors in this age group are dealing with the demands of their job, as well as often crushing student loan debt they are still working to pay off. Doctors and medical students alike frequently suffer from depression, which along with workplace anger is a sign of burnout.
Doctors also have higher rates of divorce as their demanding work schedules leave little room to develop their personal lives and relationships. Women are more prone to burnout then men and emergency care doctors report the highest levels of burnout.
There are several identified stages and symptoms of burnout. Workplace anger, exhaustion, job stress, and other emotionally drained symptoms are signs that an employee is getting dangerously close to complete burnout.
There are many things employers can do to alleviate these symptoms, to identify the causes of workplace anger, and to offer support to their people while also reducing expenses. Burnout results in over one million dollars in missed work days. Putting symptoms on place to support employees would actually be a significant cost saving measure even though the processes in place that causes burnout are generally done for cost-saving.
For example, a lack of work/life balance due to stressful work scheduling and long hours is a significant factor in workplace burnout. Employers create these kinds of schedules to get the most out of a smaller workforce. However, the high rate of turnover and sick days often surpasses the amount saved.
In addition to provide schedules that are conducive to work/life balance, employers can also provide regular breaks, perks such as massages, extra days off, work from home options,and more. Employers can also make managers aware of the symptoms of burnout, so they can intervene when an employee is starting to demonstrate those signs.
Finally, even if an employer is unwilling to put the health of their employees first, there are things individuals can do to protect themselves from the causes of workplace anger. First, be sure to remember what is most important in your life and plan accordingly. This means utilizing your available time off and not allowing your work to invade your home life.
There are also ways you can learn in managing anger in the workplace. First, identify the triggers of your anger and make conscious decisions to avoid those triggers. If they are unavoidable, find ways to center yourself mentally and minimize the impact those triggers have on you.