Keeping the Peace: Creating a Pro-Positive Workplace
The workplace of today is truly a living ecosystem. Your co-workers and employees become a second family for the amount of time you spend with them. And in many cases their attitudes and emotions have a large effect on all aspects of your life.
Off the top of your head you can probably think of short list for both people you enjoy working with and those you would rather not. But it isn’t always possible to not work with certain people. The idea that we should never have to deal with people we dislike is very juvenile and unrealistic. Quitting your job or firing someone for being negative isn’t a real option, so what can you do?
The first step to keeping the peace and creating a positive workplace is to focus on the things you can control. You cannot change someone’s actions, but you can control how you react. It is in this vein that you should handle all negative people, both in and out of the work place.
Many negative people love to complain, and they will, all day long if you let them. The key to help stopping the complaints is to try and draw the complainers attention to solving the problem. Thank them for bringing this issue to your attention and ask them how they intend to fix it. Or simply ask them what they suggest the solution is. This alone can break them from their complaining cycle. Thinking about solutions to problems is positive, and when someone gets into a negative “pity party” tale spin a good shock of positive can bump them moving in the other direction.
If someone is constantly complaining and about non-work related things in particular you should consider distancing yourself from them. The more time you spend with negative people the more they will affect your positive energy. Though this is not a permanent solution it can help the person realize they will get more attention by being positive. Make sure to not avoid the person entirely, try to maintain as much positive interaction as possible. But once they begin negative speak, end the interaction and head back to your positive space.
At the end of the day fighting with negative people isn’t going to end well. You will end up more stressed out and negative then they. Attempt to rise above, acknowledge when they are baiting you with emotion and don’t succumb. Negative people are expert button pushers and are always looking for a reaction. Even if the ranting person makes some rational sense, it is the behaviour that cannot be condoned. Responding with emotion will only justify the negative persons behaviour and this is the opposite of your goal. Letting off steam and venting frustrations is something everyone in the work place will do in their own way. What you want to encourage is positivity in the work place, keep the venting to after 5.
Leading by example is key when dealing with negative people. This is especially true as an employer or management. Emotion and feeling in the workplace streams down from the top. Take pride in you and your team’s accomplishments and don’t feel guilty about being happy! Encourage other workers positivity, never shy from congratulating, encouraging and praising.
You have to counteract the negative with positive, not to keep balance but to overpower the negative. So gather your allies, and work together to create even more positive energy. And go to them when you are feeling negative and need some encouragement.
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