We’re all busy people. Sometimes it’s due to competing priorities, being short-staffed or just trying to meet the requests and expectations of peers, managers, vendors and other stakeholders. In the process, it’s easy to get caught in a hamster wheel of activity and lose sight of the positive experiences in our daily work lives. Research shows that positivity in the workplace has a direct impact on organizational success. While many believe that success leads to happiness, the opposite is actually true: when people are positive, they are more likely to achieve success.
Benefits of Positivity
Positivity benefits people mentally, socially, psychologically and physically. When people experience positive emotions, they feel safe and secure, which leads to innovative thinking without fear of criticism. Positive individuals also are more effective with others, build stronger relationships, are more creative, motivate others and collaborate successfully. In addition, positive individuals have better mental health, suffer from less stress and are more resilient than their negative counterparts. Researchers also discovered that the physical benefits of positivity include lower blood pressure, decreased risk of some serious diseases, better sleep, improved overall health and longer lives. Positive employees and positive workplaces give companies a competitive advantage because positive employees are successful, loyal, productive and engaged employees. In the words of Vaughn Aust, “Happy employees lead to happy customers, which lead to more profits.”
How to Create More Joy in the Workplace
Positive thoughts produce positive results. Negative thoughts produce negative results. Optimism is essential in driving achievement, progress and success. Use the following tips to build positivity in your workday and see how it impacts the workplace culture as well as your personal well-being and productivity.
- Make gratitude a daily practice, whether you start a gratitude journal or take a moment each day to express something you are grateful for. The process of saying it out loud or writing it down is proven to greatly benefit psychological health.
- Celebrate successes of all sizes, whether they are yours or those of your peers or others around you. Recognition of achievement compounds the effect of positivity.
- Be kind to the people around you and surround yourself with people who would do the same to foster relationships of reciprocity.
- Build a positive work culture around shared values of respect, transparency and appreciation of others. A positive work culture is vital for attracting and retaining top talent.
- Practice good communications. Speak with honesty and integrity. Show an interest in others and get to know people as individuals. Avoid gossip, complaining or other negative forms of communications that breed hostility and discontent.
- Seek to understand the perspectives of others by embodying and imagining yourself in their shoes. This practice propels empathy and leads to better and more meaningful relationships.
- Don’t rely on others to shape your attitude. We are all responsible for our own thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Check in with yourself to make sure you embody optimism and are striving to be the best you can be. It’s contagious and will impact those around you.
- Acknowledge that change is a part of life and seek to stay flexible and adaptable to remain relevant and stimulate growth. As George Bernard Shaw said, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
- Stay curious and embrace ongoing learning opportunities and enrichment from new perspectives. Embrace the words of master sales trainer, Roy Chitwood who said, “The sign of a true professional is that they never stop learning.”
- Take stock of the moment. Acknowledge where you are and what needs to be done without getting caught up in the stress and anxiety of worrying about the future.
- Smile! Researchers at the University of Kansas found that smiling helps reduce the body’s response to stress and lower heart rate in tense situations. Another study linked smiling to lower blood pressure and additional research suggests that smiling leads to a longer lifespan.
Being Positive is a Choice
While everyone goes through periods of negativity, let the awareness trigger a “change” response. Stop, pay attention and remember that challenges are opportunities to learn and grow. Preaching positivity is easy. Putting it into practice isn’t as simple. A positive workplace isn’t one filled with blind optimism. Positivity doesn’t mean that employees constantly have a smile on their faces. But when we choose to focus on the positive, we create a ripple effect that naturally produces positivity throughout the organization. This is what leads to happier employees and a healthier bottom line.
