Negative Employees: How to Keep One From Spoiling the Whole
Bunch Negativity in the workplace manifests itself:
1. Morale – the team focuses on what’s wrong; it’s hard to recognize what’s right in the department

2. Resentment – if the leader does nothing about the negative employee, the rest of the team may resent the leader
3. Turnover & Absenteeism – other employees may not show up for work if they have to work with the negative person; they may even look for other work.
4. Teamwork & Productivity – people may not want to work with the negative person – production suffers
5. Client Dissatisfaction – if the negative person deals with clients,
clients may not get a top level of service
6. Profitability – if you miss deadlines because of productivity, you may develop a reputation for not delivering and, customers will go elsewhere.
It’s time to talk – time to nip it in the bud Talking to employees-
It is best to have a direct conversation with the person and let them know their negative attitude is a performance issue. When they disrupt the team, don’t contribute or affect productivity, it’s as if they are not performing their job responsibilities.
– Talk about how their behavior affects the team, their productivity & their relationships and the company. Be clear about what is expected. Refer to company policies and document what exactly needs to change.
– Begin the conversation by reminding the employee that in addition to performing job duties, it’s company policy to respect the rights & feel-ings of others and to show self-control refraining from saying negative comments which are harmful to co-workers or the company.
– Talk directly to the person one-on-one. If there is more than one person involved, speak to them individually. First give each person the opportunity to take responsibility on their own. Ask them what they need to do to make the workplace a more positive productive place to be. If they take complete responsibility for their behavior, you can thank them for being forthright. Other people may need to have a different approach. Here is where your documentation about exactly what has been observed, dates and times and the effect on the company. State what you have noticed as a change in their attitude. This is an opportunity to encourage them to access their employee assistance program to improve self-regulation skills.
– Be consistent with all employees. Your employees will respect you as their leader more when they can see that you do not have favourites, and you notice when efforts to improve are made.
– This content is for educational purposes only not medical advice.