CORPORATE HEALTH
Your emotions do impact productivity
The impact of emotions on productivity is well documented. Our individual traits, mood swings, and positive or negative emotions not only affect all aspects of our own job performance (including decision making, creativity, efficiency, teamwork and leadership abilities), but also the behavior and emotions of those we interact with.
Feelings can be broadly categorised into emotions, moods and dispositions. Emotions are short-term response to stimuli, while moods linger over a relatively longer period of time. Personality traits or disposition on the other hand define a person’s overall approach to life. Emotions, moods and personality traits, all have a role to play in workplace productivity, morale, and customer satisfaction.
It is now believed that our brain keeps track of the positive and negative moments we experience during each day, and the resulting score contributes to our mood. In other words, our overall mood is in effect defined by the number of positive versus negative moments experienced during the course of a day- the more positive interactions we have during the day, the more cheerful we are, and vice versa. Over the past decade, scientists have explored the impact of positive-to-negative interaction, and have found that this ratio could be used to accurately predict behaviour ranging from workplace performance to the possibility of divorce in personal life.
Emotions are needed to provide inspirational leadership. However, excessive expression of emotion- positive or negative- can do more harm than good. Both positive and negative emotions have a role to play in the workplace. Negative emotions can be traced in the primeval survival instinct latent in all humans. Negative emotions like anger, fear or disgust spur us to immediate action, and, under dangerous or extreme circumstances such a fight or flight mechanism can ensure survival. In the workplace, this evolutionarily ingrained response to negative emotions limits us to instinctive and reactive response to stimuli- with little room for logic, consensus or expansive, creative thinking. Negative thinking is oriented towards achieving or averting immediate consequences, rather than focusing on long term considerations.
Positive emotions, on the other hand, create a more expansive and inclusive range of behaviours with a win/win bias. They encourage more creative, and generative thinking, aid exchange of ideas and creation of consensus. Research suggests that positive people tend to do better in the workplace, and it isn’t just because people love having them around when compared to cynical or negative people.
Positive people tend to have better cognitive abilities, have greater focus and accuracy, and are better at generating innovative ideas when compared to negative people. They also have better social networks and are more tolerant of diverse ideas and opinions.
Emotional intelligence is a much talked about buzzword in business circles today. Because knowledge of emotions can be a valuable data in navigating critical and non-critical situations in the workplace on a day-to-day basis, businesses can greatly benefit by training employees in emotional management skills and techniques. People who are cued in to the emotions, moods and dispositions of those around them will find it extremely easy to manage situations and people to achieve desired outcomes.
Here are some ways in which you can dull the impact of negativity that sometimes runs rampant in the workplace, and infuse a positive sheen to your day. The mood you bring with you to work has a stronger effect on the day’s mood - and on work performance - than mood changes caused by events in the workplace. When people experience positive mood swings at the start of the day, they tend to remain happy and efficient throughout the day. So be sure to come to work with a smile on your face and nice word for every one you meet. Your smile and good mood will soon catch up with those around you.
Make eye contact with people, be it coworkers or customers, when you talk with them. Make your interaction a positive one. Watch out for body language and negative expression. Subtle displays of emotion, such as a quick frown, can have an effect as well, even if you don’t think it was noticeable. Nine out of 10 people say they are more productive when they’re around positive people. Do not allow yourself to dip from the negative emotions of people around you. Increase your own awareness the frequency of your own negative comments. Shine a light on what’s right, and try reinforcing positive attitudes and behavior of your peers, rather than focusing on mistakes and failures.
If you must make one negative comment, then reaffirm your statement with at least five positive comments. This is thought to be the magic ratio to infuse the right balance between positivism and productivity.
A word of caution, though…. don’t overdo it, for it may well reverse the effects. Studies indicate that more than 13 positive comments per negative comment could actually have a damaging effect on productivity and performance, as people may tend to get smug and complacent amidst all that positivism.
