Negativity is like a virus, spreading quickly and without warning. If it infects your organization, it can spread unchecked, eroding productivity and morale, affecting individual performance, and ultimately costing your company money.

Negative attitudes and behaviours affect everyone in the workplace. They sap productivity and morale and can even lead to turnover.

The good news is that you have the power to prevent this from happening in your organization. As an employer, you have the ability to minimize this negative impact on your employees’ lives by creating a positive work environment.

Overcoming Workplace Negativity

According to Gary S., the author of Managing Workforce Negativity, negativity is an increasing problem at work. His book explains how negativity affects organizations and outlines ways to combat it.

According to Gary, negativity often results from a loss of confidence, power, or community. Knowing what people are negative against helps managers solve the problem.

Gary says that identifying the specific employee groups who are unhappy is essential because different types of negativity require different solutions. For example, one group might be upset over being undervalued, while another is angry about poor communication.

With that, here are some tips for minimizing workplace negativity:

Be Aware of the Source of Negativity.

It’s not easy to spot workplace negativity, but if you’re aware of its presence, you’ll be able to take steps to eliminate it. First, look for signs of negativity, such as gossiping, complaining, blaming others, and so forth. These behaviours may seem harmless, but they can cause serious damage to your business.

Talk to employees to find out the exact problems and the extent to which the issues affect the workplace. Managers must also know where to focus their efforts to reduce negativity.

Managing workforce negativity begins with knowing what people are negative about. This allows managers to address the issue head-on. Employees will likely feel better once they realize the manager understands and cares about their concerns. This will lead to less negativity.

Identify the Root Causes of Negativity.

To stop workplace negativity, you need to identify the root causes. The first step is to understand why people are negative. Once you’ve identified the reasons behind the negativity, you can start working toward eliminating them.

For example, if someone fears public speaking, they may find it easier to avoid situations where they’re forced to speak publicly. They might avoid social events because they don’t feel comfortable talking to others. This could lead to a vicious cycle of avoiding certain activities and experiences.

Anxious people often experience increased heart rate and blood pressure. These physiological changes can cause many symptoms, including dizziness, headache, nausea, muscle tension, sweating, shortness of breath, weakness, and palpitations (irregular heartbeat). Anxiety can also increase cortisol levels which can affect metabolism.

Therefore, identifying the root causes of negativity is essential to managing workplace negativity. It’s also important to note that these issues aren’t always obvious. If you suspect someone is experiencing anxiety, you can encourage them to seek professional help.

Allow Freedom to Decide On Their Work

Employees don’t always agree with decisions made by management. When employees disagree with a decision, they tend to become more negative. To avoid this, give them the freedom to decide on their own.

For example, instead of asking someone to write a report, let them choose from several options. This will help ensure that the person feels their opinion matters.

In addition to giving employees autonomy, it’s essential to provide clear guidelines so everyone knows what’s expected of them. If you’re unsure of something, ask your employee if they have any concerns or needs clarification.

Fair Treatment is A Must

When employees feel appreciated and valued, they are much happier than those who feel unappreciated or disrespected. Therefore, make sure that all employees receive fair treatment. Treat each person fairly and consistently.

Employees should be treated equally regardless of gender, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability status, veteran status, or other characteristics. If you do not believe everyone deserves equal treatment, motivating people to work hard for you will be challenging.

Negativity breeds negativity. Treating your employees well will create a positive environment that encourages productivity and creativity.

Have Trust and Respect Among Team Members

Trust and respect go hand-in-hand. If you want to keep your employees happy, then you need to show them trust and respect. Give them opportunities to make mistakes without fear of punishment. Let them know that you value their opinions and ideas.

The best way to do this is by giving regular feedback. This will help people understand what they’ve done well and where improvements could be made. It will also encourage them to share their thoughts and ideas so that everyone can benefit from it.

Provide Opportunities for Growth

People thrive on growth. If you want to get rid of negativity, provide opportunities for growth.

Growth doesn’t always mean money. It could mean developing a new skill set, getting out of debt, improving relationships, or starting a business. Whatever it is, if you want people to feel better about themselves, give them something they can grow into.

Encourage employees to learn new skills and grow professionally so that they can contribute more effectively. You may even consider offering training courses or seminars to teach employees how to use specific software programs or improve their communication skills.

Be Open to Feedback

Feedback is crucial to improving yourself as a manager. Employees appreciate managers who listen to their suggestions and take action based on their input. In addition, people who are open to feedback are usually more productive because they have a clearer understanding of what they need to do next.

If you don’t want to hear negative comments, you won’t be able to identify problems and fix them. However, if you’re willing to hear criticism, you’ll be able to see areas where you can improve.

Don’t Take Things Personally

It’s easy to become upset when things don’t go according to plan. But the truth is, no one cares about your personal life. They only care about how you treat them at work.

It’s important to remember that you aren’t responsible for everything that happens in your company. Your job is to manage the resources available to you and ensure they are used efficiently.

Don’t let workplace negativity affect your relationships with employees. Remember that everyone has their own opinion and perspective. Try to see things from their point of view.

Focus on Positive Motivation

Positive motivation is an effective way to motivate employees. However, it works best when combined with other strategies.

The most common form of positive motivation is praise. Praise motivates people by giving them feedback on what they do well. For example, saying something like “You did a great job today!” will inspire someone to continue working hard.

It would help if you also tried to find ways to reward good behaviour. For instance, you could give employees certificates of appreciation for completing projects on time or even offer incentives like bonuses or free time off in exchange for extra hours worked.

Set Boundaries

Employers tend to forget that there are limits to what they can ask of their employees. When you expect too much from people, they start feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.

Set boundaries for your employees. Boundaries help employees understand how far they can push things. In addition, setting boundaries gives employees a sense of security and limits their ability to act negatively.

Tell them exactly what you expect from them and what you will not tolerate. Make sure they know what behaviours are unacceptable and what consequences will result from them.

This will prevent misunderstandings and allow you to hold people accountable for their actions.

Keep Track of Employee Performance

Managers often overlook employee performance reviews. If you don’t keep track of your employees’ progress, you might miss opportunities to promote them or recognize outstanding achievements.

Make sure you regularly meet each employee to discuss goals and accomplishments. Also, make sure that you review employee evaluations regularly so any negativity that may exist doesn’t fester.

Be Consistent With The Actions Taken

Consistency is key to managing a team effectively. You must set clear expectations that help all team members feel confident about their role within the organization.

When you communicate clearly, it makes it easier for employees to follow through on tasks. In addition, consistency builds trust between employees and management and leads to better morale.

All in All,

Workplace negativity is a problem that many companies face. Negativity affects productivity, communication, and overall morale.

Overcoming this issue requires a combination of strategies, which would take time. But by implementing it one step at a time, you’ll be able to reduce workplace negativity and improve the quality of the work environment at your company.