Health & Wellness in the Workplace
Who let Negative Nancy into the office? How much is she getting paid to be here? What exactly is her job anyway? Well, if she thinks she’s going to get any help from me, she’s wrong!
Interesting way to start off a blog post, huh? But how often does this happen within your workplace? How often does negativity spread like wild fire throughout the departments? And why? Why do we let this happen? Let’s be real, there are going to be bad, stressful days, (no doubt) but that doesn’t mean that they have to fuel Negative Nancy’s fire!
At some point in our lives we have all been told “you need to be more positive” and how annoying are those people that tell you that in the moment of your fit throwing? You are annoyed, frustrated and in your mind, forget positivity!
Two quotes that come to mind “Don’t forget that you’re human. It’s okay to have a meltdown. Just don’t unpack and live there. Cry it out and then refocus on where you are headed” and “Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.” (whoever quoted these, thanks!)
In all seriousness, think about it. What does negativity achieve? Especially in the workplace. From the President/CEO of a company all the way down to the person that keeps the office clean, everyone is working towards one common goal: The success of the company as a whole, let’s say that again, THE SUCCESS OF THE COMPANY AS A WHOLE!
Okay, okay is there a point to this blog? Why, yes there is! Health & Wellness in The Workplace is the point and staying positive is part of your mental health! So, without further ado, here are some tips that can help send Negative Nancy packing :o)
Communication: There could be a great explanation of the importance of communication, but it’s probably not worth it, and we don’t have the time to listen. (Oh look, there’s Negative Nancy, she creeps up quick!) Internal communication is a huge issue among so many companies and the only real way to fix the issue is to TALK TO EACH OTHER! Since when did we become so afraid to talk to each other? Maybe we feel that some people are easier to approach than others. Makes sense, but that doesn’t mean its okay to ignore issues or cut lines of communication off with that person, especially if they are part of your department or TEAM! If you were ever on a sports team growing up, what is the one thing the coaches screamed the most? COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR TEAMMATES. The old saying still states “there is no “I” in team.”
Weekly Team Huddles: No matter how big or small your department is, team building activities, and huddles are always beneficial! We may think that we have worked in the same department, with the same people, (for soooo long) that this is not important. People, this is important! Bring down those cubical walls! No question, some people are more private than others, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t build a strong team. And what happens when someone new enters that department? Do you know how scared they are for (at least) the first 30 days of their job? You might as well walk into a haunted house when you are a new person at a company. You have no idea if you will be accepted by the zombies or eaten alive!
Take a Timeout: That’s right, we are toddlers once again! If you feel like Negative Nancy is trying to take over your work space then walk away for a few minutes!! That’s it. It is that easy. Go for a walk around the office, go find someone that can help you through whatever negativity you are dealing with, chances are you are not alone and someone else has had a visit from her as well. It is okay to admit that you are frustrated, it is okay to go talk to someone about it, it is never okay to spread your frustration throughout the department.
Negative Nancy is someone that will breakdown the morale of your company like nobody’s business! Build your culture around being and staying positive! The next step is to take the time to make positivity important to you!
P.S. Sorry to anyone named Nancy reading this, it’s nothing personal, we promise!