Work can be stressful and frustrating at the best of times, not least for business owners. You’re working with people you may not ordinarily choose to hang around with, you’re busier than ever before and all the while you’re trying to remain professional and get the most out of your workforce.

It can be pretty exhausting. It’s no wonder then that there are often certain culprits that take matters a little too far, and fly off the handle when things get stressful.

But is it ever really ok to lose your temper at work? Our recent survey looked into the types of behaviour that workers think are acceptable and unacceptable in the workplace, and brought about some interesting findings.

We found that the majority of workers (86.1%) think that it is not ok to lose your temper at work, but it’s clear that is still an ongoing issue in many workplaces. As this week is Anger Awareness Week, I wanted to explore this in more detail and outline why it is not acceptable to lose your rag with staff.

It de-motivates the team

Workers who are frequently being shouted at, aren’t praised for doing a good job and don’t feel like they are valued will ultimately want to start looking for a new job elsewhere.

After all, if you’re constantly pulling your workers down with negative feedback, you can’t expect them to stay motivated or want to progress their career in your business. While it can be frustrating to feel as if employees aren’t pulling their weight it’s inevitable that there will be ups and downs in your business so it’s important to roll with the punches and keep a cool head.

It’s unprofessional

Acceptable behaviour is often filtered down from the top, so if your employees see you getting angry around the office, they are more likely to mirror this behaviour. This creates a knock-on-effect and can potentially result in an extremely toxic environment.

All businesses should promote a professional attitude and any misdemeanours should be properly dealt with. If you’re acting unprofessionally, you’ll likely make your staff feel uncomfortable, which could result in workers leaving your business, in search of a better, more professional, working environment.

It can damage other people’s opinions of you

Any good boss should be well respected, and this comes as a direct result of how you act with your staff. We all have an ego at the end of the day, and it’s extremely natural to want to be liked.

If you’re rude, obnoxious, or frequently lose your temper with staff, they are less likely to want to work for you and more likely to lower their opinions. And this can extend well beyond your workplace into the wider industry.

So when is it acceptable?!

All in all, it’s never really ok to lose your temper at work – especially with the more junior members of staff. When in doubt, walk away from the situation and try and return when you are calmer. It’s best to vent your frustrations away from the office – especially if you have a tendency to raise your voice when you’re angry.