The Power Of Positivity
Mayo Clinic research has proven that a positive attitude has many health benefits on an individual. Their research shows that optimists have stronger immune systems, lower levels of cardiovascular disease and a longer life span when compared to pessimists. A positive outlook is not only good for health, but it also improves productivity and performance at work and in everyday life. It isn’t completely clear why people with a positive attitude experience healthier, longer lives, however researchers believe it is because being positive allows you to better cope with stress. This, in turn, reduces the harmful effects of stress on the body.
In addition to personal health benefits, positivity has numerous benefits for organizations. When employees are healthy, their engagement levels increase and absenteeism and health care costs decrease. According to The Benefits Guide, positive work environments also lead to happier employees. As cited by The Benefits Guide, research shows that happy employees are 20% more productive and organizations with happy employees perform better than the market average. Positive work environments also tend to be more supportive of employees, which leads to increased growth, development, creativity, and innovation.
How To Create A Positive Work Environment
Veronique James is the founder and CEO of The James Agency, an integrated agency that has been honored locally and nationally for its excellence in workplace culture. In an article with Inc., she offers these tips on creating a positive work environment for your employees:
1. Show Gratitude: James explains that you should view working together as a privilege. Take the time each day to express gratitude to team members, whether it is during morning meetings, in the break room, or throughout the day. Expressing gratitude has a positive ripple effect on everyone around you.
2. Remove Negativity: While it may seem difficult at first, removing negative personalities from the work environment will benefit both your employees and your organization in the long run. Negativity can zap creativity and makes it nearly impossible for team members to collaborate.
3. Respect Everyone’s Time: James uses the metaphor, “Don’t leave your dirty dishes in the sink,” which we loved. It is important that you never leave a project or task “messy” and push the work off onto other team members. By keeping your own work organized and encouraging others to do the same, everyone’s time is being respected and tasks and projects can be completed more efficiently.
4. Treat Everything As An Opportunity: When you view problems negatively, stress levels and emotions run high. This can make solving the problem difficult and lead to chaos. Instead, treat problems as an opportunity to reflect, analyze, evaluate and get creative. Being consistent with this will help keep negativity and stress out of the workplace, creating a positive and innovative environment!
5. Encourage Positive Thinking: It won’t happen overnight, but you can change your employees’ way of thinking. Remember that positivity is contagious! By simply speaking your positive thoughts out loud, finding the positive in every situation, and redirecting any negative comments into positive ones, you can encourage all employees to think more positively.
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