You might think nothing spreads through an office faster than a cold or a stomach virus, but you would be wrong. There is something faster: negative energy.
Have you ever noticed how when one person is in a bad mood, everyone else around them catches it? Pretty soon it’s permeated the office like the smell of someone trying to reheat last night’s fish dinner in the microwave.
As humans, we empathetically emote and subconsciously copy our comrades. So when one co-worker is having a bad day or griping about the lack of pens in the office, or even worse other co-workers, it spreads. Quickly.
I’m not very good at combating this myself. I try to remain upbeat and look on the bright side of things. I’m often the one to say tomorrow is another day. But how many times can one person try to carry an entire section, department or office before they give in to the negativity?
Negative energy is no fun to be around. It sucks the life out of everything around it.
How do you combat negative energy in your office?