| You know the one: he comes in grumpy, and within | | | | Keep It Private |
| minutes the atmosphere of the entire office has | | | | It's important not to chastise the person in front of |
| sunk like a brick. No one wants to work with him, no | | | | others. When you talk to them about their attitude, |
| one likes to talk to him, and people go out of their | | | | do it in the privacy of your office. No one likes an |
| way to avoid him in the halls. | | | | audience when they've done something wrong, and |
| Negative employees can wreak havoc on a small | | | | making it public will likely make them act out even |
| business. They not only decrease the productivity of | | | | more. |
| everyone else, but they make your team dread | | | | Clearly Communicate Your Expectations |
| coming into work. Negatively is like any virus: it | | | | Make sure the employee knows that their attitude is |
| spreads easily. | | | | unacceptable. Everyone in your business should be |
| If you've got a toxic person on your team it's vital | | | | treated with courtesy and respect. If they don't |
| that you either try to turn them around or let them | | | | have something nice or constructive to say, then |
| go. | | | | they should keep quiet. |
| Start By Talking With Them | | | | Many negative employees start or perpetuate gossip |
| If you haven't approached them before, start by | | | | in a company. And, gossip is incredibly toxic. If this |
| talking with them about their attitude. They might | | | | person is contributing to the gossip mill then they |
| have a specific reason why they've been so | | | | need to stop immediately. Gossip creates animosity, |
| unhappy, and if you can fix it easily this is the best | | | | tension, and stress, and your team doesn't need that. |
| way to turn them around. | | | | Communicate Consequences |
| Ask them specific questions. Is their attitude related | | | | It's important to be clear that there will be |
| to something specific at work? Are they having | | | | consequences if they don't change their behavior. If |
| problems at home? Are they too stressed out with | | | | there's no improvement after a certain time period, |
| their tasks? | | | | you might have to let them go. |
| Finding the root cause is important. Of course, if | | | | The threat of job loss can be a strong motivator for |
| they're just a negative person in general you won't | | | | change, so if all else fails then make sure they know |
| be able to do much. | | | | this is an option. |
