Going From Negative Worker to Positive Reformer

Sam makes snide remarks about customers while working in their homes, Sally scowls behind the boss's back and Bill laughs at his co-workers' ideas. Do those people sound familiar? Workers with negative attitudes can stall progress, and today the problem seems especially acute as employees come under increasing pressure in their private and business lives.

It's tempting to ignore negative behaviors and hope things turn around, but letting things slide can be costly. Negativity, like enthusiasm, is contagious-it spreads quickly through any organization. Negative behavior can even drive away customers, since those who do not want to deal with negative people go someplace else.

Go Positive

Negativity is bad-so how do you rid your workplace of its toxic atmosphere? Take that fellow Sam from our opening paragraph. Suppose he's made another snide remark about a customer, and maybe someone else in the home overheard what he said. What do you do?

Here's some help from Dana Barz, president of Danamics, a Portland, Ore., human resources training firm. Try her "Four As" technique on Sam or any problem employee:

1. Assess the situation

Before you say anything to Sam, ask yourself: What are you specifically upset about?

"Remember that assessing another person's negativity is really a judgment call," Barz says. "Identify the specific behaviors that are causing problems." In this case, write down exactly what Sam said about the customer and how others reacted to the statement.

Then consider what factors may be affecting the activity. Are other individuals or departments involved? Have you made your own negative comments about customers that have been overheard by your employees? Examine the emotions you are feeling, as well. Have you allowed your own frustrations to affect how you have interacted with Sam in recent weeks?

2. Address the problem

With facts in hand, approach Sam to obtain some feedback. Before starting a conversation, though, assess Sam's current state of mind. If he's stressed right now because he had a bad time with a customer, he will not be in the best mental state for your discussion. "You might ask Sam, 'I need to talk with you about something. Is this a good time?'" Barz suggests. "Then either move to an office for the conversation or decide on a mutually convenient time."

Start the conversation on a positive note. You might use words such as, "I really like working with you and you are enthusiastic about customer service, and here is a problem I am currently facing." Don't use the word "but" in that sentence, because it seems to negate what you just said. Then explain what happened, says Barz. "Don't just say, 'You were rude with a customer.' Instead, state specifics such as, 'Yesterday, inside a customer's home, I heard you say that the homeowner was a pain in the neck, and it turns out his son overheard you.'" Then state how this might affect the business: "I felt very frustrated because we may have lost a good customer and that means we may not meet our monthly sales goal."

3. Always listen to the other side

Next it is time for some feedback. Give Sam a chance to tell his story, and use good listening skills. Don't interrupt, show that you are listening by nodding, and, when appropriate, paraphrase what you have heard.

4. Agree on a course of action

Finally, encourage Sam to become vested in a solution, Barz says. "Ask, 'How will we move forward?' or 'How can I help you avoid doing that again?'" Conclude your meeting on a positive note, saying something like, "Thank you for listening, for helping me out and helping me to make this work." After the meeting, use positive reinforcement when you see Sam communicate positive feelings about customers.

Motivate Workers

As Sam's story suggests, successful counseling invests the employee in a solution. "When you say you can turn around an employee, it implies you can change that person-and you really can't," cautions Jack Altschuler, president of Fully Alive Leadership in Northbrook, Ill. "Threats and sticks can create compliance, but will also be dispiriting: You are guaranteeing you will not get a person's best efforts using those tools."

Real change is an inside job, he says. "If a person is dedicated to being negative, no one can change that except for that person." Your counseling should inspire that change. Whatever you do, don't wait too long to counsel your employee. Hold a meeting before emotions get the better of you; avoid falling into a situation in which you and the employee get increasingly angry.

Confronting negative employees can be a daunting challenge, but creating a group of motivated workers helps protect your bottom line. Negativity leads to low morale, which leads to decreased productivity and performance, so it's important to address the problem before it gets out of hand.