Projecting Positivity: Creating a positive and productive work environment takes some culture effort.

The sun is setting a little sooner each day. The weather is getting cooler and the 4th quarter brings some additional stress for both business owners and staff. That type of stress can quickly snowball into negativity, and that negativity can express itself in all kinds of ways that make customers avoid your business. Yes, you need to get work done and stay productive, but you can accomplish those goals in a positive work environment. Below are a few tips that can generate some positivity in your workplace:

Find excuses to smile and compliment- It’s hard to remain positive around persistently negative people. As a person with resting (you know what) face, it’s important to find reasons to smile. An easy way to generate positive body language is to compliment others. Find something about the people you are interacting with that you can compliment. Making others feel good about themselves is contagious.

Identify negative triggers, and find ways to mitigate those responses- We all have things that “set us off”. Pet peeves are human nature, but when we understand our triggers we can work to mitigate them. Review situations where you had a negative reaction and game plan for a better positive response in the future. Understand that meeting negativity with more negativity generally isn’t helpful.

Make physical changes to the workplace- What can you do to dress up your work place to make it more fun and festive? Decorating areas, adding holiday photos of family or pets, or adding other sensory stimulators to an area can help put people in a positive frame of mind. If things look dull and drab on the inside when it’s also drab outdoors, some seasonal doldrums can kick in.

Prioritize healthy living and adequate rest- Eating healthy and getting some exercise can improve a person’s mood. You can even find excuses to work out as a team or partner with other businesses for healthier meal options. Adequate rest is something that varies from person to person, but too often we confuse “going to bed” with rest. Doom scrolling on your phone for three hours in bed isn’t resting. Prioritizing your health often sets the foundation for positive outlooks.

Turn complaints to catalysts- One source of negativity is lack of action in dealing with persistent problems. All businesses have issues that induce stress and negativity. It can be something as simple as a piece of equipment that doesn’t work, or something more complex like a supply chain that is delayed. Taking a leadership role and say to staff “you are right; thanks for bringing this to my attention. Here’s how we are going to fix this.” it helps create a positive work environment by showing people that you are listening to their concerns and care enough to do something about it. Follow through leads to positive environments.

Crank up the empathy (choose your response)- You can interact with people that are having a bad day. You don’t know everything going on in their life, and you often can’t choose who you will and won’t interact with on a daily basis. However, you can choose how you react to those you encounter. Anyone with children can probably think of some scenarios where your child said something to an individual out in public that just mortified you, and the way the individual on the receiving end of the statement reacted either enflamed or diffused the situation. During a visit to a local business my daughter (four years old at the time) saw a person of shorter stature. Her only experience with that was through Disney movies, and she loudly stated “SNOW WHITE” and made a bee line to the person like she had just found the world’s biggest rock star. That could have ended badly, but instead, empathy was shown and the situation turned from potentially negative to a positive memory (and my face went from a deep shade of red back to normal).

Take an interest- Customers, employees, and colleagues can generally tell the difference between someone that is taking an actual interest in them and someone that is just going through the motions. Taking an interest in someone means that you are listening and interacting, not simply waiting for your turn to talk. Once you concentrate on valuing those you interact with, and showing interest, creating a positive environment will come easier.

Make wins “we’s”- In a social media driven world, the “look at me!” factor is greater than it has ever been. Individualism has its place (in small doses), but it can create negative work environments by promoting narcissism and drama. Find ways to celebrate group wins. Shine the spotlight on others. Promote team achievements. Promoting the “we” leads to positive interactions. Constantly highlighting the “me” eventually leads to negativity.

Empower your staff- A feeling of helplessness is often the basis for negative work environments. Staff that feels like they aren’t listened to, or that they are unable to impact their workplace in any meaningful way can grow ambivalent. Engineer ways to empower staff. Take input on product mix, marketing, displays, background music, staff parties, or whatever else gets them involved in generating positive vibes in your workplace.

Positive work environments create better customer experiences, which generate more traffic and sales. Creating a positive culture is one of those “free” things any business can do to improve its bottom line, and let’s face it, it’s a lot more enjoyable to work in a positive environment than the alternative. Look through the thoughts below and make a conscious effort to improve the positive elements of your workplace this holiday season!