This person’s attitude is always negative, and he or she is constantly complaining about something. Everyone else just puts up with it, but they shouldn’t. Bad attitudes hurt productivity, and that’s not healthy for the company.

A negative attitude is similar to the common cold – it spreads and can infect everyone else in the immediate area. Why does that happen?

Let’s look at an example. Jim is surly and rude at the workplace, and he’s not very productive. No one likes working with him. Yet, he still has his job. He shows up, day after day, and collects his salary. After enough time, his co-workers begin to think, “Why am I working so hard? Jim is such a jerk, but he’s still employed. If I do as little work as Jim does, I’ll still get paid the same amount.”

Employees with a bad attitude have a special talent: they know how to discourage their coworkers. And discouragement is an enemy of productivity.

Here’s an example of how one person’s negativity discourages a co-worker: Sam comes up with a great idea to help the company capitalize on a new trend. He shares it at a meeting. Maura, the department’s resident naysayer, is there. She says, “How is that ever possibly going to work? It’s just doomed to fail.” Sam is crestfallen. He was expecting encouragement and support. Now, he has doubts about whether his great idea is so great after all.

People with bad attitudes frequently can’t see the forest for the trees. And as a result, their focus on negativity can prevent the people around them from appreciating the fantastic view.

Let’s take the example of Scott. Scott is part of a team responsible for developing a new website. His team mates rejected his suggestion of a particular color scheme, which really annoyed him. In fact, he was so irritated about it that all he can think about is how his color scheme wasn’t chosen. No matter how great the website looks, Scott constantly complains that his suggestion would have been better. After enough complaints, his team mates begin to think that’s the only thing that matters about the project.

360 Surveys can help you find and actually reverse a bad attitude. Find out exactly why employees aren’t happy, and fix the problem.

At Grapevine Evaluations, our 360 degree employee evaluations are trusted by companies such as Pandora Radio, Thompson Reuters, and Macy’s. Request a demo today to learn more!