Article August 30, 1999 Issue

Rid of the rage

Following God's will ends anger.

By Judith H. Hedrick

Recently the Los Angeles Times devoted its weekly business section to the topic of rage at work. It reported that anger in the workplace is on the rise and often underlies other problems such as absenteeism, discontent, employee theft, stress-related illness, and reduced productivity.

The articles mentioned several reasons for the anger—longer hours uncertainty about jobs, for example. But reporter Susan Vaughn mentioned one reason that resonated with me. She wrote, "In the workplace, angry employees are frustrated ones. Their goals are thwarted by obstacles" (November 2, 1998, p. 7).

The comment reminded me of a time some years ago when I held the position of president in my home association. A new member of the association left a car in a guest parking space for several months, even though the rules prohibited permanent parking there. The other homeowners noticed the car, so at an association meeting, one of them gently mentioned it. The new owner exploded, stating that it was his car and his home and that he could do as he wanted. Then he walked out.

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