7 Common Factors That Increase Negativity in the Workplace

Determining the source of negativity in your organization is the first step toward removing it. In Joanna Pera’s Hospice & Home Care Webinar Network complimentary webinar, she teaches you techniques and tips on how to influence positivity. Below are seven common factors that could bring negativity into your workplace.

1. Aggressive Communication. Aggressive communication is characterized as expressing one’s feelings and opinions in a strong manner. It’s often described as someone thinking they have the right to act a certain way and they generally have a low opinion of others.
2. Passive Aggressive Behavior. Passive-aggressive behavior is when someone expresses their hostility in a way that is designed to hurt or confuse the person it is being directed at. Some examples of this would be sulking, backhanded compliments, refusal to communicate, and intentional mistakes when asked to do something.
3. Gossip. Oftentimes rumors and gossip get confused with each other. Gossip involves information that is often shocking or personal and is usually spread behind someone’s back. Allowing gossip to take place at work will lead to a lack of trust between coworkers because they think everyone is talking about them.
4. Rumors. Although similar to Gossip, a rumor is a circulating story that is an unverified account of what happened. Usually, these happen when someone is trying to “fill in the blanks” with their own interpretation of what happened.
5. Cliques. A clique is a small group of people with a shared interest, often they do not allow others to join. These often form as a result of employees not feeling secure in their job, or they need their opinions of the workplace to be validated.
6. Exclusion. Although exclusion takes place within cliques, it can take many forms. It is often directed at one specific person or group. Exclusion could look like leaving someone out of conversations, not inviting someone to gatherings, or excluding someone from a meeting.
7. Fragmented Communication. Some examples of this in the workplace would be vague or conflicting instructions that lead to confusion. This oftentimes creates chaos. It can be very frustrating for someone trying to do a good job at work but there are no clear instructions on what they should be doing.

Now that you can determine what type of negativity you have in your organization, you can learn how to turn that into positivity. Join us in Joanna’s complimentary webinar, Influence Positivity & Eliminate Negativity from the Workplace, to learn key instruments to boost positivity in your organization to make 2022 the best year yet!