Employers in the US, Europe, Japan and numerous other countries are finding that one of most valuable tools for recruitment and retention is offering work options – compressed workweeks, flextime and telecommuting. More and more employees are working 9 day 80 hour 2 week schedules, changing their start or finish times from the usual rush-hour 7-9 am and 4-6 pm commute times, and working from home or satellite office locations.
Toxic attitudes in the workplace are contagious and can affect company morale in a negative way. Here are a few steps on dealing with toxic attitudes in the workplace.
1. Don’t Engage
Negative people feed off of an audience. If you find yourself on the receiving end of a negative tirade in the break room, don’t add fuel to their fire by engaging their negative ideas (even if you agree with them). Simply nod your head, say “that’s interesting” when they’ve finished and then go back to eating your sandwich. Your toxic coworker will sense that you’re not going to give them the attention that they want and they’ll move onto someone who will.
Vision is a clear concept of a better and brighter tomorrow. An effective vision inspires passion and excites people. Steve Jobs of Apple Computer lured John Scully from Pepsi by asking, “Do you want to spend the rest of your life making sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?” (Abcnews.go.com/Technology/steve-jobs-death-20-best-quotes/story?id=14681795#18). Jobs was referring to the home computer revolution that was transforming the everyday lives of so many people. He definitely had an exciting vision.