How to Deal With Negative Employees in the Workplace

Dealing with negative employees quickly is important to stop negativity spreading. Managing a negative team member can be difficult, managing a negative team is disastrous.

Not all negativity is bad. Some employees are by nature, glass half empty people, and they look for what can go wrong in every situation. These traits can be really useful if harnessed in the right way.

Other negative employees undermine their colleagues, spread negative rumours behind backs, pass blame onto others for their mistakes, and are constantly moaning about something. Dealing with negative team members who behave in this way quickly and fairly is a must.

Managing negative employees in the workplace doesn’t have to be difficult or have a bad outcome. Take these steps and be confident in getting to a sensible outcome for all concerned.

Dealing with negative employees can be one of the most challenging parts of managing a team. Negativity spreads quickly and can have a major impact on productivity and morale. As a manager, it’s your responsibility to address negative attitudes and behaviors in a swift but constructive manner

Understanding the Causes of Negativity

The first step is understanding where the negativity stems from. There can be many root causes, including:

Lack of purpose or engagement – Employees who don’t feel invested in their work or aligned with the company’s mission are more likely to adopt a negative mindset. They may feel their contributions don’t matter.
Stress – Heavy workloads, tight deadlines, and work-life imbalance can all lead to burnout and resentment. Employees may act out due to feeling overwhelmed.
Conflict – Personal differences and disputes between coworkers are common sources of negativity Gossiping, exclusion, and mean-spirited competition can poison the office culture
Lack of recognition – Employees want to feel valued and appreciated, Insufficient praise and rewards can fuel negativity and disillusionment
Poor leadership – Ineffective or toxic management often perpetuates negativity. Leaders set the tone for the workplace.
Personal struggles – Issues at home including financial stress, family problems, illnesses, etc. can carry over into the workplace.

Taking time to understand what may be provoking an employee’s negative attitude is key. The root cause determines the best approach to take.

Providing Constructive Feedback

Have a one-on-one conversation with the negative employee. Give concrete examples of their harmful behaviors or remarks. Explain the impact their negativity has on you, other team members, and the organization.

Be direct yet empathetic. Avoid making assumptions about their motives. Focus the discussion on observable actions and facts. Ask the employee to explain their perspective and what may be causing their outlook.

Together, identify ways the employee can demonstrate a more positive attitude and constructive work habits. Mutually agree on specific goals and changes. Express confidence in their ability to improve.

Follow up regularly to provide coaching and support. Praise positive changes, however small. Constructive feedback shows you care about their success.

Setting Clear Expectations

Negativity often arises when expectations are unclear. Employees don’t know what’s required of them or how to prioritize. They may feel unfairly criticized or micromanaged.

Clarify your standards and guidelines regarding:

Work objectives, duties, and deadlines
Team collaboration and communication
Providing customer service
Workplace conduct and professionalism

Put policies in writing and train employees thoroughly. Encourage questions and input. Set challenging yet realistic goals. Help employees segment large projects into doable steps.

Update expectations as needed. Check in frequently to realign priorities and provide direction. Clear expectations paired with autonomy drive positivity.

Offering Support and Resources

Negativity and pessimism sometimes stem from capability gaps. Employees lack certain skills, knowledge, or tools required for success. They feel defeated and inadequate.

Assess areas where the employee needs development. Offer relevant training and mentoring. Suggest new approaches or methodologies. Provide additional resources, budget, or team support.

Connect employees to networks for troubleshooting and advice. Accommodate additional time or flexibility. Investing in their growth combats negativity caused by frustration.

Encouraging Problem Solving

Rather than simply complaining about challenges, encourage employees to propose solutions. Frame issues as opportunities for innovation.

When an employee voices a complaint, ask “What ideas do you have for improving this situation?” or “How could we make this better?” Position them as experts in their roles.

Establish shared team goals related to common pain points. Brainstorm and test new approaches. Empower employees to take initiative. Recognize their contributions.

This promotes an empowered, can-do mindset. Employees see themselves as partners in overcoming obstacles vs. victims of circumstance.

Promoting a Positive Work Environment

As a leader, you set the tone for the culture. Institute company-wide initiatives to foster connection and positivity. For example:

Recognition programs – Celebrate wins and milestones publicly. Send thank you notes. Award prizes for top performers.
Team building activities – Host offsite social events, volunteer days, games, contests, potlucks. Encourage friendships between coworkers.
Wellness incentives – Offer gym discounts, standing desks, mental health days, healthy snacks. Support work-life balance and self-care.
Professional development – Invest in careers. Offer tuition reimbursement, skills training, and growth opportunities.
Open communication – Maintain transparent policies. Seek regular input via surveys and town halls. Keep employees in the loop.

A little positivity goes a long way. Make efforts organization-wide, not just with individuals.

Implementing Performance Improvement Plans

If an employee’s negativity persists despite interventions, it may be time for a formal performance improvement plan (PIP).

PIPs provide:

Documented overview of the performance issues
Goals for improvement with deadlines
Action plan detailing how goals will be achieved
Regular check-ins on progress
Clarity on consequences for failure to improve

The PIP puts the employee on notice. It reinforces the severity of the problems and need for change. For a PIP to work, goals must be realistic and support readily available.

Schedule follow-ups at 30, 60, and 90 days. Provide written and verbal feedback. The employee should demonstrate measurable progress. If not, termination may be warranted.

Monitoring Progress Closely

Stay alert to negative behaviors and address them quickly. Nip problems in the bud before they spread.

Follow up on commitments made during your initial conversation. Check on the implementation of improvement plans. Recognize positive change.

If patterns persist, enforce consequences evenly. Warn the employee their behaviors are jeopardizing their position. Remind them of obligations outlined in the PIP.

Document all incidents and disciplinary actions taken. Consult HR to ensure adherence to policies. With consistent oversight, negativity can be contained.

Key Takeaways on Managing Negative Employees

Identify the root causes of negativity like burnout or poor leadership. Treat the disease, not just symptoms.
Provide constructive feedback focused on specific behaviors. Suggest alternative attitudes.
Clarify expectations and offer development support. Set employees up for success.
Encourage solutions-oriented mindsets. Position employees as innovators.
Promote positivity company-wide. Lead by example.
Use performance improvement plans to prompt change. Monitor closely.
Intervene at the first sign of problems. Protect your culture and other employees.

With empathy, investment, and assertiveness, leaders can curb negativity. Set the tone for a motivating, collaborative environment.

how to deal with negative employees

The second step when dealing with negative employees is to Gather Examples and Evidence

Gathering examples is a really important step. Evidence and fact trump opinion in most discussions. Using examples of what was said and what happened takes the emotional heat out of the discussion and are much harder to argue against. Examples help move the conversation away from one person’s opinion against the other person’s opinion.

Gather your examples and for each one, think through how you are going to explain the impact of what they said or did.

Talk about feelings, motivation, damaging relationships, weakening the team, and over time reducing team performance. All these things leave everyone involved worse off. If there is no impact, then there is no need to change so make the impact clear.

Make sure you have clear examples, and you can explain the impact on individuals, the team and the business before speaking to the negative employee.

Don’t Ignore the Problem – the important first action when dealing with negative employees

Chances are the problem of negative employees will only grow if you don’t take action. There are lots of reasons an employee might be negative.

For instance, if a normally happy employee is being negative, they may:

Have problems in the personal life
Have a problem with an action or decision you or others within the business have taken
Be having problems with colleagues on a personal level
Be struggling with workload or a specific project and have become negative as a cry for help

There are loads of possible reasons.

Or, the team member might be naturally negative – always looking out for the problems in a situation and focused on the risks that might occur. This mindset can be very useful if engaged in a constructive way and if they manage their negativity appropriately.

Or they might be a destructive, negative employee, continually putting others down, making excuses for poor work, and generally being problematic.

Whatever the type of negative employee you have, don’t ignore the problem. If you do:

Negativity may spread throughout the team
You are in effect giving the negative employee permission to continue their behaviour through lack of action
The negative behaviour may get worse
Other team members may become demotivated or even leave the team and company because of the negative behaviour
You might lose sales as negative employees make for unhappy customers
If team motivation drops, then team performance will soon follow

None of this is good for you, nor the team and their performance, nor the business.

As manager, it is your job to manage negative team members so the team overall and individual team members are not impacted in a negative way.

You as manager, must take action to achieve this.

How to Manage Constantly Negative Employees

How do you handle negative employees in the workplace?

Use these tips to help you effectively handle negative employees in the workplace: Make the employee feel heard. Identify the positives within their negative comments. Refer them to helpful resources. Reach out to human resources or your manager if needed. Excuse yourself from the conversation politely. Distance yourself from negative situations.

How do you deal with a negative attitude?

• Focus on your Job, know what you are there for. • We all come across Negativity and Discouragement, but never allow those things to affect your ability to be better. • Pray, believe and Phusha! Was this review helpful? It is a fun place to work at, but when I left things were not longer the same,because of the new management.

What should you do if an employee has a bad attitude?

Before you approach an employee about their attitude or behavior, make sure you’ve got all the facts. Get other people’s opinions that will either back up or conflict with your own. Then use that information to tackle the issue with the member of staff.