Workplace negativity can have a lasting effect on your business and your employees. Employee morale could suffer and productivity will crash. Human resource professionals may know better than anyone that a positive work environment can foster better morale, greater productivity, and higher employee retention. In contrast, a negative ambiance can drain vitality out of a workplace and cause discord between employees, poor time management and decreased productivity. A manager should address workplace negativity appropriately and professionally. In the workplace (or anywhere else for that matter), you can spot negativity in many forms:

 

• Complaining
• Putting others down
• Talking about people behind their backs
• Highlighting other people’s mistakes (pointing the fingers of blame)

Here are some tips to reduce workplace negativity and make your employees more confident and productive.

Provide Employee Incentives

Workplace negativity can bring down productivity among employees, so incentives are a great way to promote a positive work environment. To employees who are interested in earning an incentive, this will launch them into increased productivity and will reduce workplace negativity. Therefore, you can reverse the tendency to fall victim to workplace negativity and give your employees something to work towards by rewarding them for doing a good job.

Build Positivity Into Your Organizational Culture

Make a positive and healthy attitude an integral part of your company’s mission, vision and values. Hire people who light up the room when they walk in and bend over backward to help others around them. Work with clients who love to do business and who are passionate about what they do. Work with vendors who care about their work as much as you care about yours. Make ethics a key ingredient of your cultural formula and enforce a strict moral code. Very importantly, help others when in need.

Treat Employees Fairly

Employees should expect to receive fair treatment when they come to work. It’s not unusual for workers to closely monitor management personnel for signs of unfairness, even though managers may naturally click with some workers more than others. Deal with people as adults with objectivity and consistency. Create workplace policies and procedures that organize work effectively. Apply them consistently.

Create Friendly Environment

Make opportunities available for people to express their opinion about workplace policies and procedures. Appreciate the impact of changes in such areas as work hours, dress codes, job requirements, office locations and working conditions. These factors are closest to the mind, heart and physical presence of each individual. Changes to these can cause serious negative responses. Provide timely, proactive responses to questions and concerns.