How to overcome workplace negativity in an effective way

Workplace negativity can have a lot of disadvantages that can ultimately affect the growth of the company. When there is negativity around the workplace then employers witness a lot of things including low productivity, high turnover, poor performance, and strained relationships with coworkers and supervisors.

This negativity can have adverse effects on the growth of the company and if not eliminated then it can seriously hamper the growth of the company.

For an employer to eliminate negativity, he must first develop an employer-employee communication system that will allow the employees to directly contact the employer which will result in trust and cooperation developing within your workforce. Employers should start by paying attention to little details and figure out whether it is an intrinsic factor or extrinsic factor that is turning the workplace into a negative one. For an employer, here are some ways by which he can eliminate and overcome workplace negativity.

Create A Workplace Policy
A workplace policy should be developed that mimics the company’s policies and mission statement. It should be made clear to all the people of the workforce that every employee is important and plays an important role in the company’s growth and it is the responsibility of every employee to play a role in creating a positive work environment.

All the employees should be made clear that everyone has to play their role in order to have a positive workplace environment. It is not the job of the HR department or management to sort things out between employees, rather, each employee should contribute to a positive workplace environment. Such a policy should be written and published in the employee handbook.

Designate Someone To Address Employees’ Issues
As an employer, it is your job that you provide a platform where employees can express their genuine workplace concerns. You can designate someone from the human resources department to address employee issues. It will result in the employers being comfortable about everything and whenever an employee feels that something is off the line then he can directly contact the designated person regarding his problem.

You can also place suggestion boxes throughout the office and encourage employees to put their suggestions in the boxes. If anyone comes with a good suggestion then it should be published in the company’s newsletter to make that person feel appreciated.

Arrange Social Gatherings For Employees
You should also arrange employee outings that will allow the employees to interact with each other on a social level outside of the workplace. You can not only arrange dinners and parties where the employees can get to know each other outside of the workplace but other events such as a walk-a-thon, holiday-focused volunteer project, a social gathering where you hold board games competitions such as Chess, Scrabble,  Words With Friends, etc.

All of such social events would allow the employees to get to know each other better and this would also remove any feeling of hatred that they have against each other. Just make sure that you don’t let anyone use the dictionary or  Scrabble Word Finder while playing Scrabble, else it would cause a lot of problems, hehe!

Ask From New Employees
The most common people in a workplace who have to face negative attitudes are the new employees or freshies who are often teased and overlooked by their seniors and colleagues. Once you introduce a new employee, make sure that you check in with new employees after three to weeks and ask them questions about different things like job duties, how are their relationships with seniors, coworkers, and supervisors, how are they treating them, etc.

You will have to be sharp here and pick up on cues from new employees who will try to express through their body language or their conversation about coworkers who are treating them badly. Once you get to know about the employee, you can follow up with the concerned department manager or supervisor about employees who are having a poor influence on the freshies or you can also contact the HR department. You should ask the department heads and supervisors to reinforce company policy on maintaining a positive work environment.

Arrange Employee Counseling Programmes
If possible then you can also pay for employee assistance and counseling programs that will help them with problems and negativity that they are experiencing in personal life which is ultimately reflected at the workplace. Explain the benefits of confidential counseling to your employees and how it can help solve & manage personal problems which will improve their work performance and behavior with other coworkers.