Being positive, when the industry is not doing good is a challenge. It can be emotionally draining to work in an industry or even workplace where the environment is rather dull, gloomy and has a lot of negativity. Often, these phases are temporary, especially when the industry is not doing well. During financial crunches, the overall ambience at most workplaces tends to get dull. One has to understand the negativity and gloominess that is setting in. Being aware of the same is the first step to working towards solutions and spreading some positivity.
Start with Introspecting
Yes, you understand that your colleagues have lost motivation and there’s a negative vibe in the air. But all of this starts with you. Assess whether you are actually adding to the gloom. Is there any way that you can change your perspective first? Remember that unless you can make good choices and aim towards positivity, there’s no way that you can help others in the same.
Start talking
Someone has to address the elephant in the room. Most people just shy away from talking about this aspect, thinking that it would not really help. But that’s not true. Speaking up and sharing your worries about this challenging time would be a positive measure. You will know precisely how colleagues feel about the situation and sharing and communicating about this would help ease the pressure on you. If you think that a particular colleague is getting pressurised because of all this negativity, you should try and talk to them.
Try being constructive
The next step here would be exercising constructive measures that help to create a happier ambience/ atmosphere. For example, you can walk in with a smile and greet everyone a good morning. Alongside, having a few happy posters or some fresh flowers around helps steer clear of negativity. You can share a box of cookies and chocolates to perk up the day for your friends and colleagues.
Keep a winning attitude
For being positive, when the industry is not doing good, the next step is not to let go of your goals. So what if your targets may not be met, you can always talk about things improving in the near future. Try to encourage your colleagues to do better and maintain this attitude too. Tell them there’s no harm in failing, but if they give up trying then it’s a wrong attitude. Don’t just complete your tasks for the sake of finishing an assignment — think about it as a challenge that has to be overcome. It is possible that some people may be assigned more tasks and they should rise to the occasion rather than sulk about the same.
Be thankful
For being positive, when the industry is not doing good, little things like being thankful can change the entire ambience of a workplace. Say a thank you to the person delivering your tea or posts. If your colleague has helped out with a critical assignment or in achieving a target, say thank you in person instead of just writing an email. Talking and communicating your gratitude adds to help build a positive ambience in the workforce. Gratitude is always appreciated.
Put your feet back for a while
There’s a possibility that on the whole, the mojo at work is really slow. So there’s a possibility that things are not as fast-paced and you seem to miss that. But now is the time to make use of this extra time. Kick back and relax with colleagues, talk to them like real friends — maybe even plan an office get together or hang out more.
These little steps would help in building a positive work ambience and being positive, when the industry is not doing good.
Jappreet Sethi
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