Addressing bad attitudes

Attitudes can be contagious and its the responsibility of an employee to maintain his or her professionalism. On the other hand, employers also have a responsibility to set the tone for the organization and address attitudinal problems that threaten to derail efforts to establish and maintain a healthy work environment.{{more}}

All employers pay a heavy price for ignoring or not addressing employees with negative attitudes. Studies have shown employees who work with negative people do not perform as well, their health is adversely affected and absenteeism increases.

Turning around an organization suffering from a horrible case of negative contagious attitude will take time, but it’s an issue that must be addressed.

Where should an employer begin?

Identify the source of the problem. Are the negative sentiments in your organization coming from one or two people or is it widespread across the organization?

Address the problem

If the source of the problem is one or two individuals, meet with those individuals to remind them of their responsibility as professionals. If the feeling is widespread, ask yourself the following question: Are we providing the best possible working conditions for all staff on a daily basis? It’s unrealistic to expect employees to have positive attitudes if they are being overworked, underpaid, disregarded or work in an unhealthy environment.

Educate employees

Provide quick refresher courses for your staff on what is acceptable behavior. Employees need to understand that bad attitudes will not be tolerated and there are consequences for performing below standards. Bad attitudes are without a doubt a form of poor performance.

It’s never to late to change the culture of your company. It is your obligation to ensure that you provide the best for your employees and expect nothing less from them.

Karen Hinds is “The Workplace Success Expert.” For a FREE SPECIAL REPORT on Avoiding Career Killers in the Workplace, send an email to info@workplacesuccess.com

Visit online at www.workplacesuccess.com