In the challenging environment, we find ourselves in today – with a daily balancing act from home to work and work to home – walking into a negative work environment is the last thing you want to face when you turn the handle of the door to enter your workplace each day.
A negative work environment (whatever the cause) will make all workers feel irritable, anxious and defensive. This can lead to poor productivity, a lack of motivation and morale, poor communication and the creation of gossip and small talk in the workplace.
Many companies are paying attention to employee morale in order to retain key personnel and sustain and increase profits. A negative work environment demands immediate attention. Fortunately for both employers and employees, the identification of the contributing factors of positive and negative workplace environments can be simple to identify.
One question the employer should ask is how the employees feel about the work they do. A positive workplace environment is filled with employees who believe they have a purpose at their jobs, they are making a difference, adding to the growth of the company or simply being a valuable part of the team. A negative environment lacks this feeling – the employees will feel they are performing work that does not serve a purpose. Without a sense of purpose, the motivation to complete responsibilities with pride and enthusiasm is hard to come by.
Communication between employees at all levels will either help or hinder morale and productivity in the workplace – all companies will want to foster an environment where communication is encouraging, empowering, and focused on what’s right, rather than what’s wrong. Disagreements will happen, however, the secret is that all parties be aware that the solution is not far behind, so you must focus on finding it. Encourage healthy debate and contribution to find that solution. Conflict can happen in any workplace environment, but the focus must be to steer away from negative vibes including engaging in pessimistic talk centered on how badly the issue was handled, and what was done, or not done.
Employers should be aware that innovation and creativity are paramount to ensuring that employees are challenged and stay positive. Introduce new projects, encourage participation, and get employees enthusiastic about their contributions. Negativity will stem from employees feeling stuck in a rut, feeling they are carrying out monotonous tasks, and not feeling valued for their contribution.
So let’s start creating a positive impact in our working environment today!
