Scenario: An employee becomes upset with their supervisor or a member of management.

Solution: Showing blatant anger towards a member of management (usually because a decision doesn’t go their way) is a display of defiance, and it should be handled accordingly. The behavior needs to be stopped immediately and management should not tolerate any form of anger or defiance, especially when it is directed towards a staff member in a management position. Anger is defined however the manager deems it to be.

If the employee is yelling, ask them to calm down and talk to you about what is going on. For example:

"Mary, I can see that you are upset, and I really want to help you with this situation. Please take a deep breath and calm down, and then you can tell me what is going on."

If the employee is talking back to management, remind them about the chain of command and that failing to follow instructions is insubordination. For example:

"Mary, I understand that you are not happy about this situation, but you need to remember that John is your manager and you need to respect him as such. Failing to follow the instructions that have been given is insubordination and can result in a written counseling"

Anger towards another co-worker

Depending on your company policy, the employee should at least receive a written counseling about the situation, and in some cases it may be appropriate to suspend the employee (usually on full pay) on grounds of insubordination. If you choose to terminate the employee, it is important to have as much documentation as possible about the situation. Write a detailed account of the events that occurred, and ask all witnesses to also provide written documentation about what they viewed.

Scenario: An employee becomes upset with a coworker or another member of the staff.

Solution: The upset employee should be removed from the situation as soon as possible and it is necessary to have a discussion about respecting other staff members and coworkers. For example:

"Mary, I know that you were upset with John about ______, but it is never appropriate to raise your voice at a coworker. If there is a problem in the future, you need to include a member of management in the situation so that it can be resolved in a reasonable manner and not take matters into your own hands."

In some cases where 2 employees were upset with each other, it may be a good idea to have a mediation meeting with one or two members of management and the employees involved in order to straighten out the situation. Regardless of the person who "started" the argument, it is necessary for everyone involved to understand that the behavior is not acceptable in the workplace. If needed, written counseling should be provided according to your company policy.