Negativity in the workplace can spread like wildfire and affect everyone, including clients and customers. Negativity is worse than laziness, passive aggressiveness and gossiping as the most harmful quality in the workplace (Fierce Inc. survey).

If the negativity at your workplace stems from a single individual, try to solve the problem with these six steps:

  • Inform your colleague about the undesirable impact his/her negativity is having on co-workers and the workplace. Give examples that describe behaviours he/she can do something about. For instance, “When another employee says, ‘Good morning, how are you?’ and you respond with a 15-minute monologue on how nothing is right in this workplace, you bring your co-worker’s mood and optimism down. You use up to 15 minutes of productive work time and make your co-worker unwilling to talk to you in future. This could mean that you don’t receive the information that you need to perform your job or make important contributions”.
  • Ask your colleague if something negative is happening in his/her personal life. For example, a divorce or the loss of a loved one can affect every aspect of a person’s life. You’re not a therapist, but you can offer sympathy and show him/her that you’re concerned. You must, however, ask him/her to keep personal issues from affecting the workplace.
  • Ask your colleague what is causing his/her negativity at work. Often, people who act in a negative way are really looking for someone who’ll listen and reassure them. Give them the attention they’re seeking and you may lessen the severity of the problem. Some of his/her workplace concerns may be legitimate; check with colleagues and co-workers to see if there’s any validity to the claims. If not, explain why they exist and ask him/her to cooperate. Once he/she understands the timeline, the decision or the reason for the goal, his/her negativity may lessen.
  • Don’t focus on everything that is wrong and negative about your colleague’s outlook or actions. This will only cause him/her to dig deeper into his/her grievances. Focus instead on creating options for how he/she can create positive solutions.
  • Focus on the positive aspects of his/her performance and the potential contribution he/she could bring to the workplace, not the negativity. Help him/her build his/her self-image and capacity to contribute by talking about what he/she has done well and what you and other co-workers appreciate about his/her performance.
  • In future, when interacting with your colleague, compliment him/her whenever you notice a positive statement or contribution.

If, despite all your attempts to help, your colleague’s negativity continues to have an impact on productivity, workplace harmony and co-workers’ attitudes and morale, you may have to report the matter to your superior.

Sources

www.entrepreneur.com
www.smallbusiness.chron.com
www.thebalance.com