
Your work environment affects your job. An office filled with hostility and negativity will drain you of your productivity and physical and emotional health. If you’re feeling stressed, these tips for a negative work environment could be just what you need.
Unfortunately, negative work environments are far too common, causing many people to feel unsatisfied with their job. According to a Salary.com survey, 43 percent were not happy with their current job. Fifty percent felt that they weren’t appreciated, 35 percent were overworked and 27 percent claimed to have terrible bosses.
Five Top Causes for a Negative Work Environment
1. Gossip and politics. Fights and rumors in the office can divide coworkers. In this kind of environment it is easy to get distracted from what truly matter, the work.
2. Offices run on fear. Bosses/managers can be bullies, constantly yelling or in a bad mood, which can causes hostility and anxiety in the office. The employees often experience emotional, and in some cases, physical trauma too.
3. Offices filled with strangers. A friendly environment creates a sense of community. Coworkers rarely communicate and interact with each other and this is when work begins to suffer. Loyalty to the company and fellow co-workers also falter and people tend to leave.
4. Unappreciated workers. Unappreciated labor leads workers to start wondering what all the hard work was for. Employees can become discouraged and less productive when raises for continuous hard work, office perks, and even verbal praise are repeatedly withheld.
5. Overworked employees. Most people constantly come to the office early and leave late which drains them of their energy. Little work-life balance can cause employees to feel stressed, drained and tense, causing many of them to look for another job.
Four Solutions to a Negative Work Environment
1. Self-evaluate. If you feel that your office is in urgent need of a change take the time to question yourself: “Am I part of the problem or the solution?”
2. Nurture yourself. The best way to relieve office stress and find inner peace is by nurturing yourself. Consider eating well, exercising and meditating.
3. Take steps to change. Proactively make a change in your work environment. If you’re feeling overworked take a moment to talk to your boss. Refuse to participate in office politics and gossip. If your coworkers are strangers to you consider taking a lunch break together or bosses can organize team-building exercises.
4. Get others involved. Don’t go at it alone. Encourage friends in the office to get in on the action too.