Tips For Minimizing Workplace Negativity

Negativity in the workplace is never good, but it happens all too often. Taking steps to avoid or resolve workplace negativity is crucial to your team’s survival. Here are six ways to reduce workplace negativity:

1. Treat All Employees Equally

Negativity energy in the workplace can often stem from employees feeling that others are being treated better than them.  If all employees are treated in the same manner, following the exact same rules, then employees will be less hostile, making them more likely to get along, reducing negativity in the workplace.

2. Allow Employees the Freedom to Express Their Opinions

Allowing your employees to give input into decision making helps them feel more like they are a part of the team.  It also helps employees feel like you are listening to them, and you care about what they have to say.  Overall, listening to your employees allows them to feel more involved, making their feelings about the workplace more positive.

3. Help Promote Team Building

By encouraging camaraderie among your team through team building exercises, you allow employees to become more familiar with one another.  As a result, employees will be more likely to get along, thus making them more positive towards one another overall.

4. Do Not Allow One Person’s Missteps to Reflect upon the Team

When one person breaks a rule, or does something bad, do not make a new rule or take it out on the team as a whole.  If you take one person’s mistakes out on the whole team, you will cause the rest of the team to gang up against that person, making the workplace environment extremely tense and negative.

5. Give Employees Opportunities to Advance

If employees are held in the same position with no opportunities for advancement, they will start to resent the company and have a more negative attitude.  Allowing employees the opportunity to advance makes them more excited about coming to work and doing their job.

6. Recognize Hard Work

Reward employees, within reason, when necessary.  When an employee really shines, it is important to let them know that you appreciate all of their hard work and you are happy for them.  Letting employees know when they're doing well makes them more excited to keep doing their job, which not only makes the company more productive, but it also makes the workplace environment focus more on positivity.