6 top tips for improving workplace positivity

Get better business results through improving workplace positivity.

Positive emotions

According to Gallup’s 142-country study on the State of the Global Workplace only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged at work. In fact 24% are “actively disengaged,” indicating they are unhappy and unproductive at work and liable to spread negativity to coworkers.

If that is the case, then considering the incredible benefits of improving positive emotions at work, shouldn’t we invest a little more time and energy into cultivating them?

Some of the benefits of improving positive emotions for individuals include: better health, longer life, increased creativity, improved resilience and stress management.

Some of the benefits of improving positive emotions for teams & businesses: Attracting better employees, less absenteeism, improved motivation and performance, increased customer satisfaction. Ultimately better bottom line results!

Here are 6 top tips for engaging positive emotions in you, your team and your business.

1. Be more grateful and kind – from simple words of thanks to writing a more formal letter, taking time to demonstrate your appreciation is a simple yet powerful way to create a more positive atmosphere. How can you demonstrate your thanks to colleagues, bosses, customers, suppliers, partners and anyone else involved with your business? Get more ideas here.

2. Be more forgiving and supportive of yourself and others – Forgiving helps us move on from the past and focus on the now. Here’s a useful model to help you reach out. Build excellent support around you and be supportive. Spend time with and help others. Be inspired by and inspire others – watch inspiring videos, read inspiring stories. Get a coach or mentor. At a team and business level developing a culture where employees are encouraged to make mistakes and learn from them creates greater innovation.

3. Savour the moment – Regularly take time to share and celebrate individual, team and business achievements. Take mental pictures of success, use pictures, collect souvenirs, trophies, awards. Maintain a ‘victory log’ of individual, team or business successes. Smile more.

4. Be more mindful – mindfulness is about ‘living in the moment’. This can be as simple as taking time out to enjoy and appreciate your lunch, slowing down from time to time to focus on your breathing, through to regular more focused meditation. As an individual, team or business where are spending most of your energy – The past, the future or ‘living in the moment’?

5. Invest more in personal growth and development – Whether at individual, team or business level, taking on new and interesting challenges that make use of virtues, skills and character strengths creates greater positivity. We all like to accomplish new things. It makes us feel good and builds our confidence. 

6. Build greater confidence and optimism – Focus on skills, strengths and successes. Learn from failures – How did they help you move forward? Take action and concentrate your efforts on small manageable goals that you’ve broken down into ‘bite size chunks’. Resolve unfinished business. Make some positive affirmations. If you’re feeling low, stand up. Changing your physiology and standing confidently helps shape your emotions. Take care of your appearance – clothes, hair, shoes, make-up. Keep a healthy, balanced perspective. Challenge a fear or try something new and take one small action to move forwards. Now take the next one, and then another.

Engaging positive emotions in the workplace is a winning investment. Individuals win as they develop greater creativity, motivation and resilience. Teams win as individuals inspire each other to greater heights. Businesses win as absenteeism reduces, productivity increases and staff retention increases. Customers win as service improves. Shareholders win as profits improve.

What can you do to engage more positive emotions in your workplace today?

Improveon helps you, your team and your brand to thrive with a focus on wellbeing.  Call or contact David now to find out how Improveon can help you, your team or your business to engage more positive emotions.