Overcoming Negativity in the Workplace

Hello! My name is Bev,the other half of Your Own HR Pro, and I would like to share my thoughts with you about something that affects not only the employees, but customers’ perception of the company, and in turn the bottom line. I’m talking about negativity in the workplace.

In today’s business environment, people are working harder, sometimes for less money, people’s hours are being cut back, many are losing their jobs or they see their co-workers losing their jobs, and they are left picking up the extra work. You as a manager, are closely in touch with employees throughout the company, allowing you to keep your fingers on the pulse of the organization to sense workplace negativity. It enables you to establish and heed early warning signals that all is not well. You receive employee complaints, do exit interviews with employees who leave, and know the reputation of your organization in your community.

Negativity is often the result of a loss of confidence, control, broken promises and the accountability of senior management. Knowing what people are negative about is the first step in solving the problem.

In my experience, when rumblings and negativity are beginning in your organization, talking with the employees will help you understand the exact problems and the degree to which the problems are impacting your workplace. You will want to pinpoint employee, employee groups who are experiencing the negativity, and the nature of the issues that sparked their unhappiness.

Perhaps the organization made a decision that adversely affected staff. Perhaps the executive manager held a staff meeting and things were said or questions were asked that were misperceived or perceived as threatening. Perhaps underground rumors are circulating about an impending layoff. People may feel that they give the organization more than they receive in return. They may feel that a coworker was mistreated or denied a deserved promotion.

Whatever the cause of the workplace negativity, you must address the issues, or like a seemingly dormant volcano, they will boil beneath the surface, and periodically bubble up and overflow to cause fresh damage.

The best way to combat workplace negativity is to keep it from occurring in the first place. These following tips will help you minimize the workplace negativity.

• Provide opportunities for people to make decisions about and control and/or influence their own job. The single most frequent cause of workplace negativity I encounter is traceable to a manager or the organization making a decision about a person’s work without his or her input. Almost any decision that excludes the input of the person doing the job is perceived as negative.
• Make opportunities available for people to express their opinion about workplace policies and procedures. Recognize the impact of changes such areas as work hours, pay, benefits, assignment of overtime hours, comp pay, dress code, job requirements and working conditions.
• Treat people as adults with fairness and consistency. Develop and publicize workplace policies and procedures that organize work effectively. Apply them consistently. As an example, if your vacation policy allows the opportunity for employees to apply for vacation time, tell the employees how the decisions will be made and apply the same factors to all employees.
• Address the issues directly with those employees. You want to minimize the number of rules directing the behavior of adult people at work. Treat people as adults; they will usually live up to your expectations and their own expectations.
• Help people feel like members of the in-crowd; each person wants to have the same information as quickly as everyone else, and nobody wants to feel excluded. Provide the context for decisions, and communicate effectively and constantly.
• Afford the people the opportunity to grow and develop. Training, perceived opportunities for promotion, lateral moves for development, and cross training are visible signs of an organization’s commitment to staff.
• Provide appropriate leadership and strategic framework, including mission, vision, values, and goals. People want to feel as if they are part of something bigger than themselves. If they understand the direction, and their part in making the desired outcomes happen, they can effectively contribute more.
• Provide appropriate rewards and recognition so people feel their contribution is valued. The power of appropriate rewards and recognition for a positive workplace is remarkable. Suffice to say, rewards and recognition are among the most powerful tools an organization can use to buoy staff morale.
  
  Take some time to analyze how well your organization is applying these recommendations. They form the foundation for a positive staff morale and minimized negativity in your workplace.

Please check our our website http://www.yourownhrpro.com