Is the place you call office fraught with negative energy? If the answer is yes, then you are indeed facing a tough situation wherein going to office becomes a torturous prospect. To help you deal with the negativity, here are some suggestions.
How to Deal with Negativity at Your Workplace
1. Do not personalize
While dealing with negativity at the workplace, start by creating a list of people who appear repulsive. Be sure to focus on people who are chronologically negative. It has to be borne in mind that negative people emanate negative vibes for everyone and not just you. You should be continually reminding yourself that it is impractical to take their sermons personally. Being defensive or reacting vociferously can never solve problems the way you would like them to be solved. Therefore, avoid overreactions and learn to control yourself. When you have finally exercised some control over those emotions, it automatically infuses you with the ability to tackle a negative person in a constructive and positive manner.
2. Instead of “you” use “I”
By replacing the pronoun “you” with another pronoun” I “, you can definitely far better while dealing with negative people. It is a common human tendency to react overtly when confronted with questions such as, what made you do that? or what are you up to now? Every person in general, negative people especially, tend to get upset upon hearing sentences addressing them directly. Therefore, statements containing the sound less harsh, and are thereby least likely to upset people. So, instead of using, what made you do that, rephrase the sentence to read, watching you do that makes me anxious.” The approach works best when it comes to handling personal negativities.
3. Handle the anger
A majority of negative people are angry by nature. So the question is, how to reduce anger in others, especially when they seem to have been born with it? Well, as they say, if there is a will there is a way. In order to remain positive, follow the directions mentioned below.
In the first place, try and breathe regularly and slowly. Secondly, speak in a cool and calm manner. As an alternative option, the UAR process is worth trying. Here “U” stands for understanding. Lend an attentive ear to whatever the person, dubbed negative, says and provide your feedback. “A” denotes apology. You should be able to apologize without blaming. And lastly, the “R” in UAR means resolve. You must get the actions specified. By following these techniques you will not only feel relaxed and controlled but also will curtail the anger in other people.
4. Tackle negative conflicts
Dealing with negative people becomes all the more difficult during conflicts. The first trick is to concentrate on issues, and not the personalities involved. It should be remembered that you are here to tackle an issue and not to find someone to put the blame on. Refrain from saying, thinking or doing things that might hurt a personâs ego, thereby making him or her feel bad. If you are in no mood to have a conversation with the negative person, then get the meeting rescheduled. Try and get a hang of their feelings. In doing so, slip into the shoes of the negative person and see things from his or her perspective. Determine their priorities, the things they consider as important, and their share of gain or loss in the conflict.
Next, express your feeling and ideas to the person in question. Do not say anything that portrays their negativity directly. Rather make it look as if you are in a big dilemma regarding the situation. Drown the last drop of ego left in your system and settle for compromises. After hearing them out, be willing to improve or alter your situation based on the negative personâs input. However, be sure to choose a position that appears equitable and fair.
5. Bring positivity out of negative comments
Count the exact number of times you had heard a negative person complaint about the work conditions and citing his reasons as to why it will not work. Well, a negative person can have a dozen reasons to explain why things will never succeed. Such people, moreover, are also quite adept at using sarcasm as a weapon to destroy the ideas put forth by others. In fact, a great deal of their emotional energy is actually wasted on negative communications. By altering the way things are or turning them around, you can actually make the negative appear positive. There are two major ways in which you can turn things around. The first is by using opposing statements. Secondly, once the negative person has finished complaining, ask him/her for suggestions on how to make things better.
6. Boost the morale of the negative person
Negativity is a part and parcel of life. The prime key to success, therefore, lies in your ability to handle it well. Keep yourself posted about the main motivators that fuel the negativity in a person. Pessimism is directly related to a person’s self-esteem levels. An individual who does not feel good about himself or herself is likely to emanate oodles of negativity. Therefore, you should try and boost the morale of the person otherwise regarded as negative by colleagues. By doing so you are not only helping a co-worker but at the same time ensuring that the condition at the workplace remains positive.
7. Maintain a safe distance
While getting involved may help ease the negative pressure to an extent, if the situation appears overtly complicated, then maintain a safe distance. You have no business getting bothered about something that cannot be helped. So, focus more on the optimism around you, and don’t allow the negative vibes to get the better of you. A workplace is dotted with people of every nature, and the pack includes individuals who see the downside to everything. Speaking to such people will not produce good results. Hence, avoid them and seek the company of positive people.
How to Deal With Negative Feedback
Negative feedback is sure to make each one of us upset, especially when you have worked hard to achieve excellence. Dealing with such feedback can be difficult if you do not maintain a positive attitude. Read the tips given below and learn how to deal with negative feedback.
1. Analyze the negative feedback
Negative feedback might seem discouraging, but you have to analyze them carefully to find the positive idea behind it. Not all negative feedback is meant to prove us wrong. Many of this feedback gives us a scope to know about our drawbacks and to rectify them. If you think in a positive manner, negative feedback can provide you a scope to improve yourself. In such a case, instead of being gloomy about the feedback, we must learn from our mistakes. However, there are instances when negative feedback have no meaning. They are just meant to hurt you. In this case, be strong and forget the feedback. There is no use in analyzing it.
2. Determine who is giving the feedback
You cannot listen to just everybody around. Everyone has a different opinion on a particular matter, so you have to determine who are you going to listen to. If a member of your family or any of your good friends is giving the negative feedback, you need to listen to them. These people love you and care for you. They are the ones who want you to rise. Therefore, give attention to their words. However, be cautious, not all the people you know might be giving you good advice.
Sometimes, there may be some strangers who might tell you something that can help you improve. So, before reacting to negative feedback, carefully determine who is giving the advice.
3. Accept the negative feedback
None of us are perfect and we often tend to make mistakes. We learn from our mistakes, so do not be disheartened by negative feedback. Take it as an opportunity to learn and improve. If you keep thinking about your drawbacks, you will never be able to overcome it. You are not the only one with an imperfection. Therefore, get up and take the challenge. Move forward and face the problem with new courage. You will soon find yourself happier and the negative feedback will bring positivity.
4. Do not react to the negative feedback immediately
We all know that we can commit mistakes, but the moment someone points at it we tend to become sad or even angry. However, reacting at that moment can spoil the situation. You need to give yourself some time before you decide what needs to be done. Listen to the feedback carefully and analyze the words. They might be for your good. If they seem useless, you can just forget about it and move on. However, if you need to discuss or clarify the feedback, you can think about it calmly and then come back later to solve your problem or ask for an explanation.
5. Discuss with other people about the feedback
If a person gives you negative feedback, you can discuss it with other people whom you trust. These people can be anyone like your friend, parents, siblings, mentor, or boss. See what these people have to say about you and the feedback that you received. This process will be very beneficial, as you will be able to get a clear picture of yourself. This can be a great step toward the improvement and development of a strong personality.
6. Do not let other’s judgment affect you
People might have different opinions about you. Just like we try to remain unaffected by the negative feedback, we should also not solely depend on the positives for our encouragement. If people around us start influencing us in a major way, we might find ourselves breaking down every now and then. In order to build a bright future, it is important to choose the right path and be strong. Always believe in what you are doing. Simple praise at times is always welcome, but other people’s opinions should not affect us largely.
7. Thank the person
If you think the negative feedback has a hidden positive feeling, thank the person who gave you the advice. Although for that moment you might have felt upset about the feedback, if you analyze it carefully, the feedback is actually for your good. The feedback gave you a chance to know yourself better and make sufficient improvements. Therefore, do not let any wrong feelings to arise. Feel good about the fact that there are people who care for you and want you to improve.
How to Deal with Negative Employees
Pessimistic employees not only reduces productivity but also affect other employees. If you have negative employees at your workplace, it’s quite difficult to emerge successfully in your business. However, one can deal with negative employees with a few techniques as mentioned below.
1. Analyze the problem
If you find a progressive decline in your business and productivity, find the reasons for them. Instead of focusing on the problems, try to understand the causes of the loss. Sometimes, you may observe poor performance from the employees. Don’t mock your employees right away. Instead, follow your employees and analyze their problems for delivering poor performance. In case, if the workplace lacks proper infrastructure and other facilities, solve them immediately. If the employees feel pessimistic about their work and targets, try to pick the reasons for their negativity.
2. Discuss the situation
Once you have analyzed the causes of negativity in employees, don’t hesitate to discuss the problem with them. Give feedback and critics in a constructive way to make them feel easy about it. Instead of producing complaints against them, explain the situation at your workplace and ask their suggestion for the problem. In fact, negative employees will complain more about their workplace, other workers, clients, etc., when you allow them to suggest a solution. You can use mind games and tricks while discussing the problem with them.
3. Motivate them
Motivation is one of the vital keys essential for achieving success in your business. Whenever your employees feel negative about a particular situation, motivate them with cheerful words. Appreciate them for their good work and make them feel merrier at the workplace. At least once in a while, reward their hard work with gift coupons, performance certificates, incentives, holiday options, fun trips, official tours, etc. Definitely, they will show affirmative progress in their work when you motivate them.
4. Cite examples
If you find it hard to explain how their negativity affects your business and other employees, quote examples of a similar situation. It will make them understand the circumstances clearly and realize their mistakes. As every business needs successful teamwork, even if one of the team members lacks confidence, the performance of the entire business will be ruined. You can also cite examples from movies, books, current trends, etc., to make your point more relevant. When negative employees compare their situation to some other problems, they could easily understand their own mistakes.
5. Train your employees
If you think that you can work only with optimistic people, then it might be quite difficult to hire such employees. Instead, you can provide the required training to negative employees and make them change their behavior. Nobody can change someone’s attitude; but, with proper training and motivation, one can change the negative thinker into a positive thinker. All you need is a little patience, confidence, and good leadership skills. It might be quite challenging, but you will notice extra-ordinary results and growth in your business, once you learn how to deal with negative employees.
6. Observe their behavior
When you have done your role in the form of providing motivation and encouragement to the negative employees, the next step is to monitor them carefully. Observe the changes in their behavior. If you find affirmative improvements in them, boost them further. Make sure that you don’t alert your employees while you observe them. However, give sufficient freedom to your employees and let them be themselves at the workplace. Be patient and help with their queries, doubts, procedures, schedules, etc., during the work. Allow them to make mistakes, but make sure that they learn from their mistakes.
7. Terminate
Try to isolate the negative employees from other workers and analyze them carefully. If your employees don’t show sufficient improvement in their performance due to their negativity, don’t hesitate to terminate them. Because you might lose other good employees due to the presence of negative people at your workplace. Though it’s a tough decision, you will not regret it in the future. Be kind to your employees and mention the reason for their termination. However, you must consider this solution as the final option. When you practice dealing with negative employees at your workplace, it becomes natural for you to manage any kind of people in your life.
