HR MANAGEMENT - How Do Negative & Positive Attitudes Affect the Workplace?

How Do Negative & Positive Attitudes Affect the Workplace?

by Arnold Anderson, Demand Media

Workplace attitudes have an effect on every person in the organization, from the employees to the company owner. Attitudes help to develop the prevailing workplace environment that determines employee morale, productivity and team-building abilities. Understanding how positive and negative attitudes affect the workplace is an important tool in creating a harmonious workplace.

Validation

The prevailing workplace attitude adds validation to events that occur within the workplace. For example, if there is a prevailing negative attitude, then the announcement of a drop in revenue is met with expectation rather than creating a sense of urgency. The same announcement in a workplace with a positive attitude would be met with the sense that something in the business process is not working properly and must be rectified. The prevailing sense of optimism in the face of bad news helps validate the strong feeling of teamwork the company has developed.

Competition

Attitudes do not necessarily create competition in the workplace, but they enhance the competitive environment. A negative attitude in the workplace creates an atmosphere of distrust among employees and causes employees to attempt to achieve success at the expense of each other. In a workplace with a positive attitude, competition is seen as a motivator that inspires employees to perform at their best to improve productivity.

Creativity

Staff creativity is important for a small business in developing new ideas and coming up with creative solutions to company issues. A positive workplace attitude encourages creativity because employees feel that their ideas will contribute to the success of the organization. A negative attitude restricts creativity as employees do not feel obliged to contribute to company growth.

Retention

One of the more direct effects of attitude in the workplace is employee retention. A positive workplace encourages employees to become involved in company success. Employees invite career development so that they may be part of future company projects. A negative attitude leads to turnover and a loss of experienced staff members, which degrades the company's ability to grow.