How Can We Turn Workplace Negativity into a Positive, Friendly Environment?

Hi all, I need suggestions or steps to curb negativity among the employees and create a friendly environment to boost morale. I have started speaking to employees one-on-one to figure out what's bothering them.

Regards,

Identifying Manifestations of Negativity

Let us first identify the manifestations of "negativity" as observed or reported. Unless the cause is identified, the remedy may not be focused! Employee relations are very significant to organizational performance. Relationships are a matter of credibility, mutual trust, and confidence between the parties.

That you have initiated one-to-one dialogue is a good thing, but unless the employees wish to confide in you, they may not speak the truth or may restrict themselves to empty courtesies. There is also a chance that the employees may use this opportunity to raise a "grievance," genuine or even perceived, and it will be a tough job to separate one from the other. Yet, this will at least bring in data for you to work on!

Areas of Negativity

The areas of negativity, the visible forms (impertinence, non-cooperation, lack of commitment, etc.), and their receptivity to listen to any other viewpoint that differs from their psychological blocks are critical matters for any correction to commence.

HR Policy and Organizational Values

Is your organization working on a declared "HR Policy" or an organizational "Vision, Mission, and Values" Statement? If so, is it being followed in practice? Experienced "duplicity," whether in thoughts or in actions, can be disastrous to employee relations and will ultimately hurt organizational performance.

While you carry on with what you have started and build bridges of understanding (the rapport!), you must consider getting an "Organizational Climate Survey" done, learn the reality of your organizational climate, introspect, and decide on a new approach. Often negativity will melt when duplicity vanishes and when psychological bonds between the employees and the organization are created, maintained, and constantly nurtured. However, remember improving relationships is NOT just about being tolerant, good, generous, and pampering the employees.

Proactive Measures

Be fair, inclusive, supportive, transparent, account for the bona fide of your decisions and actions, check out your programs of Rewards and Recognitions, Grievance Resolution mechanism, and generally be proactive in handling employee issues.

One can go on with this line of suggestions, but it is very essential, I repeat, to identify the causes of negativity before any plan of action can be put in place.

If you need to share more facets of your situation or to raise more questions, kindly do not hesitate!

Cheer up, you have taken in your hands a very important aspect of employee relations for your organization. Work at this such that you can only succeed, and for that, you have to carry the entire organization with you on this path. Top management's active support and guidance will have a catalytic effect and will accelerate your interventions!

Regards,
Samvedan

January 15, 2012

I would like to highlight a few points here:

- This might be due to a lack of understanding or trust between the leadership and the employees.
- It could also be because of salary increments that they desire, which may not be feasible from the organization's standpoint. They may have to wait for the compensation review.
- Some employees expect their leaders to provide a roadmap for them, but instead, they have been applying for Internal Job Postings (IJPs) without success.

These are the observations made thus far, and as a result, employees do not hold their leaders in high regard. Since I have started interacting with them, I am striving to gain their trust by remaining neutral so that I can freely absorb their thoughts.

I am also planning to engage with the leaders to understand their perspectives. Can these issues be mitigated to some extent through engagement activities or by providing them with a comfort zone?

Regards, Lakshmi

The side that needs to correct, adjust, or modify its perspectives has to do so. The management may have its own limitations (like not being able to depart from laid-down systems, etc.), but unless the employees are aware or made aware of the processes and procedures, their expectations will continue to think and behave in a particular way. Essential knowledge and information always bring about a change in attitude.

Management's Willingness to Change

Is your management willing to change and reach out to resolve some critical problems being expressed by the employees? Not all at the same time, but primarily demonstrate its concern for employee stress. The rules and procedures are all fine and have to be respected, but where human beings are concerned, some flexibility and willingness to make exceptions are a lifesaver.

However, I must also tell you that the employees may share selectively initially, and if results are not forthcoming, it may harden up attitudes again. Then it is also possible that what is being shared with you covers only a select group and not a generality of the organization. I have personally experienced that the "raw egg" is always "tested" by seasoned employees at each level. Watch out for such efforts. Through you, perhaps they may be trying to reach some issues to the management. To that extent, the advice to you would be not to oversympathize, to let your attitude be one of a learner and not that of an emancipator, and finally, even if they are unhappy, just make no promises beyond "ensuring all genuine problems will be objectively and professionally addressed."

Even if they are playing a "game" and only testing you out, they are smart as a class in differentiating between those trying to win popularity/acceptability and those genuinely trying to help resolve problems. The first is NEVER respected and never really trusted, while the other is always respected and becomes a confidant sooner than one would expect!

Choose your path carefully and continue the good work!

Regards,
Samvedan

January 16, 2012