At Newsletter Pro (one of Idaho’s Best Places to Work), we live and breathe the 9 core values that define our company culture. The first of these values is to Accentuate the Positive. This can also be described as “looking on the bright side,” “being optimistic,” or “finding the silver lining.”
That said, encouraging positivity at Newsletter Pro doesn’t mean entering a state of delusional bliss. It’s not about denying all problems and refusing to acknowledge bad days. Yes, bad days happen. Projects fall through, mistakes are made, and sometimes you just get really frustrated. But when it comes down to it, you can always find a silver lining.
There’s a quote from Walt Disney that describes this outlook perfectly: “I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.”
Accentuating the positive isn’t about ignoring the negatives. It’s about acknowledging life’s trials while still keeping a positive outlook — it’s looking for the good in every situation and encouraging your team to do the same. The best part about promoting workplace positivity is reaping the amazing benefits this state of mind brings to your business. But what are the benefits you will see when you encourage workplace positivity?
Employees’ Morale Will Increase.
Have you ever heard of the saying, “The glass is half-empty”? If your company lacks positivity, your team members’ glasses will always be seen as half-empty, and you may find yourself and your team having more pessimistic views on daily workloads and tasks. When challenges arise, your employees may not feel as confident in their abilities because of the environment they’re in. Some may even begin to feel burnout, which will cause more disengagement.
However, if you create a comfortable working environment, you and your team will have an optimistic view of your workload that will lead to more happiness in the office — you can make them see the glass as half-full. But how can you create and encourage positivity in the workplace?
The first way to promote positivity is by showing genuine interest in your team. People appreciate feeling valued and heard. If your employees are involved in clubs, participate in recreational activities, or have a hobby they’re passionate about, show interest in them! Ask how they are doing and if they have anything exciting planned. Encourage them to share these personal experiences with you.
In addition to showing interest in your team’s personal lives, you can also talk to them about how work is going. Ask your employees if they are struggling with something, what you or their team can do to support them, or if they have any suggestions to boost the morale of the workplace. When you promote open communication, not only will your employees feel more comfortable coming to you if they have concerns, but it will also boost the overall morale of the workplace.
Another way to encourage workplace positivity is by providing positive feedback. You want to avoid criticizing or condemning certain actions and responses — there are other ways to inform your team about what could’ve been done differently. Instead, thank them for their hard work, then offer suggestions they can use in the future.
But most importantly, you want to praise them for the work they do while in the office. Sometimes, employees can feel like they are overlooked. In fact, according to Zippia, 29% of employees haven’t received any recognition for their good work in over a year. Additionally, 80% of employees said they would work harder if they felt appreciated.
As you can see, when you provide positivity and optimism, you will get it in return. Optimism is the gift that keeps on giving!
Positivity Creates Productivity.
When discussing how positivity and optimism affect business, Bert Jacobs, founder of the Life is Good Company, told Inc.com, “When I say optimism, I’m not talking about irrational exuberance or ‘blind’ optimism. I’m talking about an approach to decision-making that … chooses to focus on the good because that is the smarter use of resources.”
Did you know that only 36% of employees are engaged while they’re at work? According to Gallup’s survey, 51% of employees are disengaged in the workplace, and 13% are actively disengaged. But when you encourage workplace positivity, your team will feel more productive, and their engagement will exponentially increase. Rather than getting lost in the negativity, fear, and doubt surrounding any issues, they’ll be able to focus on the true cause and devote energy to solving the problem.
At this point, Winston Churchill could also weigh in. He once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
When businesses transition to a positive outlook and start looking for the opportunity in every difficulty, they’ll see “dramatic benefits for employers, employees, and the bottom line,” confirms the Harvard Business Review.
While the strategies outlined in the previous section will promote positivity, there are other things you can do as well.
First, your company can offer various incentives like mental health days. Sometimes, people may need a day to decompress and rejuvenate. When you offer time for this, you will notice that your employees are more refreshed and ready to overcome any obstacles ahead.
You can even offer health reimbursements. Here at Newsletter Pro, if anyone on our team participates in a race, has a gym membership, buys workout equipment, or does anything else that promotes physical activity, they will be reimbursed an amount of money every quarter.
Furthermore, you can incorporate team-building activities within your workday. You can implement a monthly meeting with various departments and provide your team with an outlet to ask questions, offer strategies, or simply talk about the exciting things happening in their lives. By doing this, they will have the eyes and ears of their uppers, and they can get to know one another and you on a more personal level.
Celebrating holidays is another way to promote positivity. It will give your employees time to take a break from their workload and share a laugh with their colleagues. Not only can you celebrate national holidays, but you can highlight other celebrations like National Employee Appreciation Day and more.
Workplace Positivity Makes The Workplace Better.
This one is a given: People are happier in a positive environment. That’s why in 2015, 20.5 million people visited Disney World, “The Happiest Place on Earth.”
Promoting workplace positivity opens the door to creating an atmosphere where people want to be. A study by the Association of Accounting Technicians found that workers value a positive atmosphere over monetary gain.
Happiness is directly correlated to creativity. The foundation of any business is company culture and innovation. One of Newsletter Pro’s core values is Collaborate to Innovate. One of the main ways we do this is by ensuring our employees are happy with their workplace and providing them an opportunity to grow. When you provide a comfortable work environment, your team’s creativity will shine when engaging with customers and each other and when providing solutions.
If you encourage workplace positivity, you will also strengthen your company’s teamwork skills. Positive employees are firm believers in collaboration. With the right work environment, your team will be more willing to engage and assist each other with tasks or issues.
When people are happy, they are more inclined to stay where they are. Considering how replacing an employee can cost around 20% of that employee’s salary, it’s in a company’s best interest to want employees to stick around.
6 Fast Steps To Positive Thinking
It’s remarkably easy to start introducing positivity in the workplace. People are capable of thinking and acting more optimistically once they know how. Here are a few ways to incorporate positivity into your daily life:
- Instead of looking for reasons why something won’t work, look for a few ways that it could. Remember the glass half-empty phrase? Rather than searching for reasons why something will fail, look for reasons why you will succeed! By changing your perspective, you will notice how you can do things differently and implement strategies that will assist you along the way.
- Whenever you find yourself saying you “have” to do something, rephrase it so you “get” to do it. How you talk to yourself matters — remember, you are your biggest critic. It matters not only what you say but also how you say it. When you talk to yourself in a positive way, you can improve your self-esteem, manage your stress, and enhance your overall well-being.
- If you struggle with catastrophic thinking, make a point to avoid absolutes and exaggerations. It’s a waste of energy to say things like, “My plans always go wrong” or “This will never get better.”
- If you find yourself trapped in negative thinking, ask your team to help you focus on what’s possible. If your goals and dreams seem too overwhelming, a little silver lining will help you find alternative opportunities.
- Breathing exercises can also help you gain clarity when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Taking a few deep breaths in and out will help you regain your composure and reduce your stress and irritation levels. Meditation can also help you have more control over your mind and body. Listening to guided meditations or sitting in silence while you focus on your breathing is a great way to decompress. Always remember, it’s okay to step away from your work every once in a while to ensure you’re in the right mindset.
- A digital detox can also help uplift your mood. While social media is a great tool to connect with others, share memes, and kill time, it can also create negative thoughts and behaviors. Not everything is what it seems when you look at someone’s post. Your feed won’t show you the hardships someone endured or the mountains someone had to climb to get to where they are today. Disconnecting from your devices will allow you to focus on items that bring value to your life.
Workplace positivity is also born in the habits your company keeps. At Newsletter Pro, we aim to accentuate the positive by starting team meetings with a “positive focus.” Everyone goes around and shares something positive going on in their lives. It can be as simple as “I’m expecting a package,” or something more extravagant like, “Two days until my Hawaiian vacation!”
Whatever the focus, the point is to think on your own reasons to be positive while hearing positivity coming from all around you. Everyone gets to begin on a positive note, and that puts the meeting in perspective as we buckle down to get work done.
Just like the positive focus helps us remember there’s always something worth smiling about, bringing positivity into your business will help you remember there’s opportunity behind every challenge. And when you start meeting challenges by looking for opportunities, you can accomplish some pretty amazing things.
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