Have you ever felt that your concerns were being dismissed with an overly positive attitude? Perhaps you reported an issue with a co-worker to management only to have them thank you for your hard work? If so, this is an example of a phenomenon known as ‘toxic positivity’, wherein employees’ concerns are inadvertently dismissed by management using misplaced, overly positive phrases that don't offer any real solutions.

As concerns over workplace bullying have grown over the past couple of years, with bullying claims rising by over 44% in the 12 months between March of 2021 and 2022, an increasing number of managers and business leaders are reluctant to contribute to anything that may be viewed as ‘negativity’.

In response, an overuse of positivity has emerged that may leave employees feeling that their concerns are not being taken seriously by senior management.

Some business leaders have implemented unofficial anti-negativity policies in the workplace

Employee happiness has become the key to staff retention in recent years. However, there seems to have been a misunderstanding as to what constitutes employee happiness in some cases.

Everything is fine

In an attempt to avoid perceived workplace bullying and gossip, some business leaders have implemented unofficial anti-negativity policies in the workplace, which has led to both management and employees withholding feedback and criticism in fear of being viewed as being negative.

Rather than openly addressing issues, reassurances of ‘everything being fine’ has become common in some workplaces. This ‘toxic positivity’ minimises the concerns being raised and closes the conversation without reaching any form of solution. This trend has seen an increase in overtly positive responses to negative feedback, such as “look on the bright side!” or “think happy thoughts!” Whilst this could be seen as relatively annoying, does ‘toxic positivity’ have the potential to create a truly negative work environment if left unchecked?

Whilst ‘toxic positivity’ mostly stems from good intentions, forced positive responses can lead to staff becoming resentful and feeling that they’re not being listened to. Rather than building employee happiness, the result may unfortunately become the opposite and even lead to staff leaving the business.

As we all recognise, the workplace can, at times, be stressful. Various factors can cause employees to develop grievances – from impeding deadlines to negative experiences with other staff or clientele. When issues arise, it’s important that employees are provided with a safe and non-judgemental environment in which to raise their concerns with management and work together to find a solution.

Treating issues professionally

Grievances are a serious issue that should be treated professionally. Whether employees feel their client is becoming difficult to negotiate with, or they are concerned they will be unable to fulfil their workload within the current deadline, management should listen to employees’ concerns and work to rectify the situation. Instead, we have seen an increase in concerns being dismissed as a ‘negative attitude’.

Workplace bullying has become a problem for management in recent years, with claims rising over 44% in the 12 months between March 2021 and March 2022. In response, some firms have moved away from anything that may be branded as ‘negativity’ and could be perceived as discriminatory. Whilst ‘toxic positivity’ isn’t intended to be harmful, it has left employees feeling they are no longer being listened to.

If this continues, businesses could see increasing grievance escalations, and potentially even resignations. When we are working, we want to approach management with any issues we may have and know that they will do their best to help. When we are met with responses such as, “at least this didn’t happen instead!” it can make us feel unvalued by our employer and may prompt us to look for work elsewhere.

If business leaders feel that ‘toxic positivity’ may be developing in their workplace, they should aim to:

1 Listen to employee concerns

It is important for management to actively listen to employees when they report a concern, and for the employee to be reassured that a solution will be implemented. Rather than telling employees that “everything will be okay”, management should instead opt to thank employees for bringing the issue to their attention and ask them what can be done to help.

2 Be transparent about company issues

‘Toxic positivity’ is not limited to employees attempting to raise concerns with management. Business leaders also sometimes exhibit an overly-positive attitude when addressing business announcements and financial hardships. Instead, business owners should aim to be as transparent and honest with their employees as possible, even when delivering less-than-ideal news.

3 Take action and offer updates

It’s important that, if you are going to listen to the concerns of your employees, you should then be willing to take appropriate action and maintain dialogue to explain what is being done to address any issues raised. If it turns out that action isn’t taken, it’s important to explain the reasons why.

Sources: BetterUp, Forbes, LinkedIn and People Management

Connor Campbell is business finance expert at NerdWallet

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