• Introduction 
• Why is Positivity in The Workplace Important?
• The Powerful Effects of Positivity on Productivity 
• How Can Positivity Improve Stress Levels?
• The Effects of a Positive Attitude at Work 
• 5 Things That Cause Negativity in The Workplace 
• 8 Ways to Improve Positivity in the Workplace
• Conclusion 

In order for a business to be successful, there needs to be many elements that all come together at the right time. It seems like a magical spell that is almost impossible to achieve, but it’s actually far easier than it seems. 

Basically, you need to have happy and healthy employees who are all working towards one strong and common goal. There are equally as many ways to achieve that aim too, but one particular element is vital - positivity. 

Positivity in the workplace may seem like something that comes automatically but there are many different things that can cause a person to feel less than inspired about where they work, the office furniture in their office, their management team, and about their colleagues too. 

If you want to ensure that your business hits the high notes and achieves its potential you need to take one eye of your profit margins and turn your attention more towards the wellbeing and happiness of your employees. 

Of course, you can’t force someone to feel positive about their job, but you can do a lot to help them feel that way. By putting the right conditions into place, you’ll find that you have a happy and positive team in no time. 

Why is Positivity in The Workplace Important?

You might wonder why you need your employees to be positive, but let’s look at it in more detail. 

When you feel negative about something, you just do the bare minimum. You do what you have to do in order to get the job done and, in this case, enough to do what you need to do and get paid. Do you think that’s going to give you the very best value?

Of course not. 

When someone has a positive attitude at work, they are motivated and eager to succeed. They’re more likely to overcome challenges that come their way and they are also far more likely to solve small conflicts with their colleagues quickly and easily. Put simply, they enjoy the time they spend at their office desks and they want to make every day count. 

It’s easy to assume that nobody feels that way about work, but you’d be surprised! Work isn’t just something we do for cash. For sure, it’s very useful, but by encouraging your employees to feel good about the work they do, you’ll help them to become happier, healthier, motivated, and as a result, much more positive. Positive employees go the extra mile for their employer. They want to see the business succeed as much as the manager does. 

That’s why positivity is important. Because when you’re positive about something it means you care. When you’re negative about something, you aren’t really all that invested. 

Positivity at work isn’t that hard to encourage. Later in this guide we’re going to highlight some specific ways you can encourage a positive attitude in the workplace, but know that by treating your employees how they deserve to be treated, e.g., with respect, kindness, and by listening and involving them, you’ll go a long way to ensuring the longevity of your business. 

The Powerful Effects of Positivity on Productivity 

We know that when people care about what they do, they go the extra mile and try that little bit harder. So, what does this do for productivity? How does this affect the hours your employees spend sitting at their office chairs or collaborating around the boardroom table?

When someone feels upbeat and positive, that helps new ideas to flow. They’re keen and eager to keep improving so they’re going to focus on what they can do to put forth that effort. Positivity has a huge impact upon brainstorming and collaboration efforts. 

For instance, you have a group of employees brainstorming about a particular long-standing problem around the modern boardroom tables. Your employees are invested and focused on solving this problem because they want to succeed. The means they have a positive attitude at work. So, they bat ideas around, they listen to each other and they expand on each suggestion. From there, new solutions are born and they can be tested out and adapted to fit the issue. 

When you compare that situation to a group of employees who are feeling pretty down and negative about their working situation, you’ll quickly see why positivity is vital. Employees who are feeling negative probably don’t really care about the problem too much because they’ve had enough of everything. They have that ‘what’s the point’ way of thinking. As such, very few ideas come from them, if any. 

The psychology of the workplace is something that every manager should pay attention to. Without a positive and uplifted feel to the space, productivity is bound to fall. There is such a close link between morale and productivity (more on that shortly), so if you have a negative attitude around the workplace in general, nobody is going to care if it succeeds or fails. They won’t care because they are disconnected from it and they feel like nobody in the management team cares about them. 

That’s a huge managerial problem in so many ways. A good manager understands that treating their employees with respect and kindness is the only way to focus on success, but aside from that, it’s simply the right thing to do anyway. For a different take on this, check out this infographic which talks about how positive thinking can actually improve your employees’ wellbeing. 

Source - https://info.totalwellnesshealth.com/blog/bid/354994/8-Ways-Positive-Thinking-Can-Improve-Employee-Well-Being-Infographic

How Can Positivity Improve Stress Levels?

Another major issue in modern workplaces is stress. 

Workplace stress is such a huge deal that every single manager needs to be aware of the signs and do whatever they can to help an employee who is obviously feeling under pressure. You won’t get the best of any employee who spends hours sitting at their desks feeling like the world is sitting on their shoulders. 

Of course, stress can occur because of problems outside of work, but there are any different elements of work that can cause stress to build up. These include: 

• Uneven workloads and unfair distribution of work 
• Conflicts between employees or with managers
• Unrealistic deadlines
• Uncertainty in the workplace 
• A lack of training 
• Very little, or no, career progression opportunities     

Having a positive attitude in the workplace isn’t easy when you’re feeling stressed out. It’s also very difficult for people to understand that stress is what they’re feeling as it can manifest in many ways, even physically. Measuring stress is literally like trying to measure air! However, stress management techniques can lower the impact. Check out this TED talk for a few ways on how to beat stress. 

Starting with positive thoughts for the day at work can help you to slowly start to turn you mindset from negative to positive, but know that it won’t happen overnight. There are many other conditions that need to align in order to fix the issue. Thankfully, we’re going to give you a few more ideas on that later in this guide. 

So, how can positivity improve stress?

Basically, stress forces you into a negative mindset but when you turn the tables on it and try your best to think with a glass half full view, you’ll notice that those invasive and unhelpful thoughts that stress causes you to have, slowly disappear. That’s really what stress is - a mindset of not being able to do everything you need to do. However, when you  try your best to be positive, you’ll see the opportunities and brightness in front of you, rather than the darkness and lack of any way to turn. 

It’s not possible to feel totally stressed out when you’re positive. The two just don’t coexist. Of course, it’s possible to sometimes feel a little overwhelmed and still be positive about it, but in that situation stress won’t be an issue because rather than being all consuming, you’ll use it as a motivator. It will also be a short-lived issue, rather than turning into something chronic and too difficult to deal with. 

The Effects of a Positive Attitude at Work  

Morale is a huge issue in any workplace. When morale is low, productivity is low. But, when morale is high, productivity is on the increase too. 

An office full of happy employees isn’t that hard to achieve. You simply need to treat people with the respect they deserve and to listen to them. Rather than telling them what to do all the time, you need to consult with them and ask for ideas. When people feel heard and valued, they’re far more likely to want to do more for their manager. 

So, what are the effects of staying positive at work? Do you actually manage to do more while you’re sat at your executive office desk, or does it go further than that?

• Fewer conflicts in the workplace - While you can never totally cut out the chances of two employees clashing or disagreeing, having a positive mindset will mean that people push overcome these problems and understand the bigger picture much more easily. A negative mindset means you become stuck on things and start to hold grudges. That’s never a good picture. In this situation, positivity helps people look for solutions to work through problems. 
• Increased ideas and collaboration - We’ve already touched upon this one, but when you have a positive working environment, employees will be brimming with ideas and suggestions. Time spent around the boardroom furniture will yield many great ideas and you’ll be able to solve long-standing problems that have stood in the way of business growth. This is also a very dynamic and innovative way to work and it’s likely to help you maintain your existing staff levels and perhaps even attract new talent too. 
• Doing more in less time - While you should never push your employees to try and hit unrealistic deadlines, a positive attitude does have an energising element to it. You’ll find that people tend to get more done during their working days because they’re not bogged down by negativity and stress. When everyone works in this way, the cumulation of effort means that your productivity levels will be through the roof! And, we know that productivity brings - profits. 
• Overcoming challenges rather than getting stuck on them - Having a positive attitude at work helps you to have that ‘can do’ attitude too. Rather than feeling like there is no way around a challenge you face, you’re more likely to look for creative solutions and give them a try. A person who is feeling stressed and negative will simply assume that it can’t be done and probably won’t try very hard. However, a positive person will not want to be beaten and will look for different ways to solve the problem and overcome the challenge. 
• Increased team spirit - A positive place to work is a happy place to work and that is probably going to pull your employees together in a team, enabling them to support and help one another at all times. If someone is going through a tough time, which happens occasionally, their colleagues will rally around them and take a little of the slack, ensuring that work is done and that particular person doesn’t feel stressed and overwhelmed on top of everything else. This all improves team spirit massively and goes a long way to boosting productivity too. 

Simply starting off with positive thoughts for the week is one way to slowly start bringing a more positive attitude into the office, but simply by understanding what positivity as a whole can do is a great starting point. 

5 Things That Cause Negativity in The Workplace 

Being positive at work isn’t always easy, especially when there are specific things occurring that do nothing but drag down everyone’s moods. By knowing the key things that can cause negativity to run rife in an office, you can do everything in your power to kick them out and start focusing on positivity instead. 

Of course, every business is different. In one workplace you’ll have a generally positive vibe, but days when things don’t quite go according to plan. That’s all very normal and it’s likely to the case for you. It’s probably unrealistic to expect a totally positive mindset all the time. Your office isn’t going to be all unicorns and rainbows 100% of the time, because that’s not how life goes. However, you can aim for a majority of positivity and know that you’re doing well. 

To help you identify when negativity may be an issue, let’s check out five things that regularly cause negativity in a workplace setting. 

Regular Office Conflicts

If your employees are always arguing and misunderstanding one another, you’re not going to have a particularly positive work environment. It’s a good idea to sit down with the employees who always seem to be having these problems and try to get to the root cause of the issue. Sometimes, it’s a small thing that simmers away and if it’s not resolved, can continue to bubble under the surface. 

You can also call an informal meeting around the boardroom chairs and ask people to talk about the underlying issues in the office and what they think can be done to solve them. Identifying conflict and working to resolve it in a harmonious and blame-free way is important if you want a positive office environment. 

Check out this infographic which talks about how to solve conflicts in the workplace. 

Source - https://venngage.com/templates/infographics/resolving-conflict-b6125d0c-c6b5-4299-ab50-b008ed248765

Not Being Involved or Informed of Changes

If you want to ensure that office morale is high, you should always inform and involve your employees of any changes that are going to happen, or may happen at some point. Not feeling involved can cause people to feel unvalued and can also be a main cause for stress too. 

If you’re considering making changes to any part of their workflow, the technology they use, and even their working environment, it’s important to talk to your employees and discuss the issue before any decision has been made. It’s also a good opportunity to ask for ideas and suggestions on how to make things work better; after all, they’re the ones who sit at their office desks and know exactly what works and what doesn’t. 

An Uncomfortable An Uninspiring Work Environment 

Never underestimate the power of office design and decor. Your office furniture needs to be comfortable and supportive at all times and the general space design and decor needs to be inspiring and motivating. It’s very easy for mood to be dragged down by a small, dark, and cramped office. It’s not somewhere anyone really wants to work and will do nothing for productivity either. 

However, a bright, light, and comfortable space will have the opposite effect and will ensure that people feel uplifted and positive during their working days. It also means they’re less likely to go home at the end of the day with aches and pains from uncomfortable office chairs and desks. 

Poor Management 

It can be difficult to do, but sometimes it’s important to look within and identify whether your management style is having an effect on how people feel within the office space. A poor manager is someone who doesn’t really care too much about their employees and is more focused on numbers. Also, micro-managing and over delegation are two major issues that can cause employees to start to lose their interest in the work and only do the bare bones instead. 

It’s not always easy to admit that you could do better, but let’s be honest, everyone can! Commit to working towards always being a better manager and you’ll notice the effects it has on everyone in your space. 

Uneven Workloads And Unrealistic Deadlines

We mentioned these two issues as being major causes for workplace stress but they’re also going to contribute towards a negative feeling in the office too. 

Workloads should be fair and even across the board and any deadlines you need to set should be realistic. When deadlines are far too short, it simply causes stress and worry, which isn’t going to motivate your employees to get the job done. 

8 Ways to Improve Positivity in the Workplace

Now we know why being work positive is important, how can you do your best to promote positive psychology in the workplace?

Thankfully, its easier than you think. In this section, we’re going to take a look at 8 things you can do to create a more positive workplace and to promote a generally positive mindset amongst your collective employees. 

Encourage Reframing 

Changing a person’s mindset isn’t easy and it’s true that they need to be the ones to do it, therefore they need to be willing. However, you can help your employees to reframe negative thoughts into positive ones by showing them what to do. 

Why not set up a positivity workshop and talk about positivity vs negativity. Not everyone will be receptive at first, and that’s okay. With time, people will start to see that you’re doing something for them and to make life better. 

To give you an idea of how reframing works, check out this video. 

Of course, as a manager you should also use reframing and show your positive attitude to your employees. You are a role model, after all. 

Stress Management Workshops

Shining a light on workplace stress is important. Raising awareness means that you’re identifying the problem and you can do something to help those who feel this way. Feeling stressed isn’t a failing - it’s a natural human reaction to something which makes you feel overwhelmed and as a result, you find it difficult to cope. If you have one or more employees feeling this way, why not set up stress management workshops. 

By doing this, you’re giving your employees a range of techniques that will help them to overcome stress. These tools can be used whenever they feel their stress response rising and that will help them in the future, and the business overall. 

Take a Look at Workloads

Compare every employee’s workloads across the board and see if anyone has far too much on their plate. Are they wildly different? Do some people do far less while others do more? This is a great opportunity to even things out and start to bring fairness back into the equation. 

Uneven workloads cause stress, annoyance, and conflict within an office. They can also create a very negative situation and causes people to wonder why they should bother when other people don’t do half as much as them. When you even things out, you’re showing your employees that you care about fairness, and you care about them. 

Assess The Office 

Is your office an inspiring place to work? Show your employees you care about their working days by giving them a great place to work. You don’t necessarily need to go down the route of a full revamp or renovation, but you do need to identify any spots that are cramped or uninspiring and do something about them. 

How about purchasing new office furniture? You could opt for breakout furniture to give people a space to go for a quick time out, or even fancy new desks! The options are endless and really don’t have to break the bank. 

Also, looking at decor is important. Colours such as blue, green, and yellow are ideal for promoting an uplifting feel to the space and are great for creativity. Also, add in a few office plants here and there too. 

Set up a Focus Group

If you have a large number of employees or you don’t have the capacity to pull everyone together around the boardroom furniture to discuss issues, why not set up a focus group so that people can report back with any problems or suggestions they have. Then, consider them and feed back to everyone via the members of the group. 

That way, you’re showing employees that you’re listening and you want to hear their ideas. By doing this, you can also ask for suggestions and ideas to solve specific problems. It’s win-win. 

Show Appreciation And Give Praise When It’s Due 

Far too many managers fail to say ‘thank you’ and it’s such an easy and effective thing to do. We all want to be thanked for what we do and when we do something well, hearing a quick ‘well done’ is uplifting. 

O course, don’t overdo it, but when praise is due, give it. You can also show your employee that you appreciate them in many ways - how about buying everyone a coffee on a Friday or bringing in a cake once a week? Small things really do matter. 

Ask What Your Employees Need

A little like the focus group idea, ask what your employees need. Simply being asked ‘what do you need to feel more comfortable’ or ‘what do you need to do your job better’ is a great way to show people that you’re focused on them and not your profit margins. 

Everyone wants to feel valued, and this is a great way to do just that. Of course, you should also take into account any feedback you get and try to facilitate it whenever possible. 

Encourage Team Work

Countless studies have shown that working together in teams is a more enjoyable and productive way to work. While some people like to work on their own, teamwork helps people to get things done much quicker and it gives that ‘one for all and all for one’ feel to the space. Encourage people to work together and set up spaces in the office that allow people to collaborate and discuss without disturbing anyone else. 

You could opt for office booths or acoustic panels, or you could go one step further and have a collaborative zone. 

Conclusion

How are you feeling after reading this guide - positive, we hope! 

Being positive at work doesn’t mean jumping around like a unicorn and constantly smiling. It means having that uplifted and happy feeling and knowing that whatever the day throws at you, you can handle it. That’s a great environment in which to work. 

Encouraging your employees to be more positive at work means giving them the right conditions and treating them in the right way. None of it is rocket science and it really comes down to making your employees your number one focus over everything else. Ironically, when you do that, everything else falls into place.