Workplace drama can be challenging, especially when dealing with intense personalities and poor communication. High tensions and emotional outbursts can disrupt team dynamics and create a stressful environment. Addressing these issues effectively often requires both creativity and patience.
OP, an engineer, works with a team of 7 and a coworker with severe anger issues. This coworker yells and gets in people’s faces. OP complained to the boss, but the issue was dismissed, and there’s no HR in the small company. OP decided to address the problem by labeling the coworker as “emotional” or “having a fit” instead of “angry.” The coworker was not happy about it, scroll down below to know what was his reaction.,
1. OP asks if it was wrong of him to calm down an angry coworker by calling him emotional.
2. OP is an engineer on a team with 7 relaxed colleagues and one with anger issues who yells and gets in people’s faces during disagreements.
3. OP complained to their boss about the angry coworker, but the boss dismissed it, saying the coworker was worse 10 years ago and hasn’t improved.
4. OP wonders how the coworker was 10 years ago since he’s still not mellow. The small company lacks HR, only having corporate management, which didn’t help.
5. OP changed tactics by calling the coworker “emotional” or “throwing a tantrum” instead of “angry” or “yelling” to shift perceptions of his behavior.
6. OP hoped to shift the coworker’s reputation from domineering to emotional and tantrum-prone, aiming to change perceptions from strong to weak and unstable.
7. OP made subtle comments, like after meetings, saying, “Wow, it’s crazy how emotional Jay got. I don’t know how he has the energy to throw a hissy fit at 9 am.”
8. When OP’s boss asked for a meeting recap, OP said, “Dan, Jack, and James had great feedback. Jay had trouble managing his emotions and threw a temper tantrum again.”
9. When asked why Jay was yelling, OP would say, “Honestly, I don’t know. He was so emotional about it that he wasn’t speaking rationally.”
10. OP tried to drop it subtly, and coworkers unconsciously picked it up, saying things like, “Oh, another of Jay’s fits.”
11. OP started saying to his face, “I can’t understand you when you’re emotional,” and coworkers began telling him to get a hold of himself.
12. He gained a reputation as emotional and irrational, which upset him, but he stopped yelling at OP as much.
13. He blew up at OP for calling him emotional. OP suggested he looked on the verge of tears, which made him even angrier.
14. OP feels petty for gaslighting him into thinking everyone sees him as a crybaby, but it mostly worked when the proper channels didn’t.
When OP made subtle comments to shift the coworker’s reputation to being overly emotional. This approach seemed to reduce the coworker’s yelling at OP. However, when the coworker noticed and confronted OP about these comments, OP felt guilty for being petty. OP is now unsure if they were wrong for handling the situation this way.
Now that you have read the story, it’s time for you to see what Redditors had to say about the story. Don’t forget to share your own opinion at the end of this article.
15. NTA, he needs to learn to control his temper. It’s not acceptable for anyone to yell and intimidate others in the workplace.
16. Your approach seems effective. Sometimes, you have to find unconventional ways to deal with difficult coworkers, and it sounds like this strategy worked.
17. His behavior is unprofessional and disruptive, and he needs to take responsibility for his own actions.
18. NTA, you found a way to cope with his behavior.
19. NTA, you addressed the issue creatively.
20. You shouldn’t have to tolerate being yelled at and intimidated just because he can’t manage his emotions.
OP did what he could to handle the situation calmly. It’s important to address workplace conflicts respectfully and professionally. Resorting to manipulation or name-calling can make things worse and damage relationships.
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