Tips for Minimizing Workplace Negativity

In the current age of “quiet quitting” and the Great Resignation, employees are not shying away from expressing their grievances in the workplace! Combatting this negativity during work hours is crucial for the overall performance of your business. In this brief blog post, Horizon will provide some tips to minimize negativity in your company’s workplace – read on to learn more! 

Is Negativity a Problem in Your Workplace?

Workplace negativity is more than just a minor annoyance – it can have a major impact on your company. In fact, a toxic work environment can negatively affect nearly every aspect of an employee’s performance, from teamwork, to productivity, to their overall commitment to your company! Working as a business owner to quell employee concerns and negativity is vital for the longterm success of your operations. 

Workplace Negativity Can Take a Toll on Your Company

Employees who dislike working at your company will not only have poorer performance and more frequent turnover, but they will be less willing to resolve conflict as it comes up, making working conditions worse the longer it is allowed to continue! 

Benefits of a Positive Work Environment

Combating workplace negativity with proactive strategies can not only prevent the more obvious drawbacks of a toxic work environment, but it can also provide opportunities to make your workplace more positive. A positive work environment can have a number of great benefits for your company and the wellbeing of your employees. 

Boosted Productivity

Employees who feel good about the work they’re doing will be more likely to make a commitment to their projects. It makes sense when you think about it – not only are you more focused when you’re happy and relaxed, but you’re more likely to feel like you’re doing work that is important and worthwhile! 

Improve Employee Engagement and Retention

In addition to being more productive, employees who work in a positive environment may be more engaged with the company they work for in the long-run. Workers who enjoy the company at which they work and feel supported in their projects will be more likely to stay at the same company year-over-year than employees who feel like they are ignored, belittled, or underappreciated. Improving overall retention can be a major win for your business over the years. 

Promote Wellness for Employees

Stress is a common cause of both physical and mental health conditions, and for most people, a negative work environment is a common cause of stress. Positive workplaces can go a long way in helping employees take control of their wellness, whether that means simply reducing the stress involved in being on the job, or even introducing opportunities for wellness, like company workshops on stress management or fun team-building activities.  

Five Tips for Minimizing Workplace Negativity

If you’re ready to transform your work environment, here are the top five tips for reducing negativity in the workplace and creating opportunities for a new, more positive work culture! 

1) Open Communication in the Workplace

Open communication is the cornerstone of every workplace with a great work culture. When employees can communicate clearly and effectively with their peers and management, they can more quickly solve internal problems that arise with fairness and patience. Additionally, open communication goes a long way to help prevent miscommunications that can go unresolved and create resentment over time.  

2) Provide Programs for Growth and Opportunity

It is critical for any team you manage to feel as though they have room to grow at their company. Most people value the feeling of working towards a concrete goal, and it can put a major damper on employee moral and productivity if they feel as though their hard work may amount to little throughout the years. Providing ample opportunities for growth, including promotions, pay raises, special training, and other programs, can help offset potential feelings of ‘dead-endedness’ at work.

Recognize and Reward Employee Success

Nothing is more frustrating in the workplace than feeling like a person’s work is unappreciated. A lack of recognition can make employees feel resentful, and it may contribute to early burnout for some of your best employees. Instead, try to frequently take stock of their accomplishments, and offer them your sincere appreciation and praise. Even better, you may consider rewarding their efforts, either with special opportunities for upward growth or improvements in pay. 

3) Give Employees the Opportunity to Express Their Opinions

Allowing for your employees to express their honest opinions can go a long way to improve workplace outcomes. Not only does this increase communication between all parties, but it can help them feel as though they are fully accepted in the workplace – not just accepted when they’re toeing the line! Consider opening specific forums for the honest expression of your employees’ thoughts, including feedback forms, regular check-ins, and other lines of communication through which their exact problems and concerns will be fielded. Additionally, make sure management responds with openness when your employees communicate their opinions – shutting their opinions down or responding negatively can impact your team’s ability to communicate, and it may make your employees feel as though their thoughts are not important. 

Trust Your Team to Make Decisions on Their Own

Though it can be tempting to try to have a hand in what your team does, give them enough room to make their own decisions in the workplace. It can be disheartening to have your good ideas shot down if you’re feeling passionate about a project at work. Even worse, it can create a very negative work environment if your team feels as though you don’t have confidence in their abilities! You don’t have to let them make every decision, but you should have ample trust in your team to make some of the decisions on the projects they’re assigned. 

4) Consistency and Fairness with Treatment

Consistency is crucial when dealing with your team. Resentment can quickly arise if your employees begin to feel as though management is picking and choosing when to apply workplace policies and punishments. Favoritism and bias can really damage your team’s trust in your management structure, so be sure to equally and fairly apply your standards of conduct across all members of the company. 

5) Promote an Inclusive Workplace Environment

Inclusivity is an important virtue for any workplace environment. Not only does it mean supporting team members who belong to marginalized identity groups, but it means uplifting and supporting every member of your team through all of the natural differences that humans are going to bring to the table. Be vigilant against negative attitudes and ignorance in your workplace, which can quickly isolate and further marginalize important and valuable members of your team. 

Horizon is a Trusted Partner for Payroll and HR Operations

When it comes to a healthy and functioning workplace, you may need a little extra help when it comes to your HR operations or payroll processing – that's where our professional team with Horizon comes in! We are proud to offer solutions for payroll, HR, benefits administration, hiring, onboarding, and more. Contact us today for a free consultation! 

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Looking to change the way you handle your company’s payroll and HR operations? Horizon has got you covered! We offer a wide range of business solutions, from HR to benefits, from onboarding to time tracking, and much, much more. With our help, your company can streamline these management operations, making everything run much more smoothly! 

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