Workplace negativity might seem like a common and frankly minimal issue. Everyone has their bad days and stressful times can bring out the worst in many employees. However, a downward trend of negativity can have a terrible impact on the overall morale of a group, even creating a hostile work environment. As a manager, it is your duty to identify issues of negativity and address them quickly and effectively in order to maintain a good work environment for the remaining team members. Team productivity and retention rates hang in the balance.
Luckily there are a number of actions you can take to correct a hostile work environment. In today’s article we discuss the actions you can take to address group concerns and get the team back on track.
Identifying the Issue
There are times when productivity naturally drops to do difficulties on a project, high turn-over rates, or a general feeling of unhappiness within a group. These are common examples of how workplace negativity can infiltrate an otherwise content team psychology. Keep in mind that while temporary disappointment or frustrations are to be expected, if they are not dealt with, bitterness and negativity can become the norm. Such a negative influence can destroy the morale of a group, resulting in long term issues with productivity, a drop in product or service quality, and inevitable increases in turnover.
Improving Bad Morale
Considering this, addressing issues of team morale should be a top priority. Speaking directly and openly with employees about the situation, doing what you can to address their concerns, and actively engaging them in the process of rebuilding a better team will help improve morale. Show your team that you respect them and value their work and they will be more likely to help you set the problem to rights.
Focus on the Specifics
If you are in the situation where you need to confront a disgruntled employee to address systemic negativity, make sure you are able to be as specific as you can be when trying to correct their behavior. General criticisms are not helpful in outlining the actions and improvements you want to occur going forward, and rarely result in a positive response. If the negative attitude of the employee is resulting in missed deadlines, loss of productivity, or poor quality of work, provide examples and show rather than tell them how their dissatisfaction is having a negative impact on the team as a whole. If they are unable to make steps toward improving their bad behavior, then it is likely in their best interest as well as yours that they find a new opportunity elsewhere.
Knowing how to build a positive, well-balanced, and collaborative team requires years of industry experience and deep knowledge of the candidate pool. Many employers simply don’t have the time or resources available to them to invest in lengthy staffing decisions and market research needed to build a high functioning team. In those situations, working with a staffing service like BOS Staffing will help you build a great team from the ground up. Call to talk with a recruiting specialist today!
About BOS Staffing
With more than 100 years combined experience providing temporary, temp-to-hire and permanent staff. We serve the legal, medical, call center, accounting, IT, technical, distribution and light industrial industries, BOS Staffing is a leading employment firm serving the Gainesville, GA area.
If you are looking for a new job in Athens, Georgia, view our available opportunities and apply online today.
