Positivity in the work place could be counterproductive.

Managing a team isn’t easy. Most employers and team leaders would argue that it would be easier if their employees could play nice, smile, and just get their work done. Complaints and negativity do make their jobs much harder. But what they’re really striving for here is groupthink. Irving Janis describes this as “the psychological drive for consensus at any cost”. It’s the perfect description of toxic positivity in the workplace.

Groupthink suppresses dissent and the appraisal of alternatives. You’re afraid to speak up because it will ruin the vibe, and you really want to be seen as an essential part of the group – a team player. When groupthink is happening, everyone seems to feel comfortable (they actually aren’t), and with the right strategies you can avoid tension for a little while. The problem is, it’s tough to sustain. Groupthink and the pressure to maintain a facade of positivity makes employees less happy, stifles creativity, and keeps the business stuck.

We really need negativity in the workplace, and it’s quite dangerous if we eliminate it, especially in creative industries. Research shows us that toxic positivity stunts creativity and stops you from seeing important pain points that the business or customer may struggle with.

Peter Senge, the author of The Fifth Discipline, defines creative tension as the ability to articulate the gap between your vision and the problem that needs to be solved. By focusing on the negative, or the problem, you’re able to visualise possible solutions. But it’s impossible to discover that solution without first really getting to know the problem.

This usually involves complaining, venting, lamenting, and purposely pointing out the flaws in something. Most positive thinkers or manifesters would run from this, but it’s how we solve some of the world’s most significant problems. Without negativity in creative meetings, we wouldn’t have that new iPhone update or comfortable tennis shoes. If you encourage a culture where productive disagreement isn’t allowed or is discouraged, you’ll never come up with solutions.

Positivity also stifles empathy for the customer. If you rush too quickly into positivity, you’re unable to understand the customer’s pain points. Have you ever got the wrong order at a restaurant? Yes, you want them to replace your meal, but you also want them to show understanding and remorse. If they just walked away and brought you a new plate of food without saying anything, would you be totally satisfied? I know I wouldn’t.

Genuine empathy requires that we listen, understand, and feel what is happening so that we can create a targeted solution. This means telling the customer you’re so sorry for bringing the wrong dish, listening to how frustrating this was for them, agreeing on a solution, following thr
ough on the solution, and then checking in to make sure they’re satisfied. We can’t do any of that without listening to and engaging with negativity.

Many employees report that they’re actively discouraged from speaking out about office issues in the name of a “positive work culture”. Complaints about sexual harassment, lack of diversity, discrimination, and other types of prejudice or critical issues may be silenced in the name of “positivity” or being a “team player”.

So many people have told me that their complaints are usually met with things like a pizza party, a work happy hour, or gaslighting. This is why so many companies stay stuck. There’s a fear that too much “negativity” will ruin the culture. But a company cannot move forward without acknowledging the negative. It’s the only way to create change and progress.

How to avoid toxic positivity in the workplace

There are a few key ways that you can continue to promote a healthy workplace culture while also encouraging creativity, growing your business, and making your employees feel comfortable.

Employee engagement is one of the most important components of a successful workplace. When employees are engaged, they feel valued, secure, supported, and respected.

A Gallup poll showed that engagement predicted well-being more than any other type of benefits offered and that employees prefer workplace well-being to material benefits.

You can help your team feel engaged in a few simple ways:

• Show genuine interest in your employees’ lives by asking questions and demonstrating that you care about more than what they can do for you and the company.
• Show empathy when people are struggling. Brain imaging has shown that when employees recalled a boss who had been unsympathetic, they had increased activation in areas of the brain associated with avoidance and negative emotion. The opposite was true when they remembered an empathic boss.
• Emphasise the meaningfulness and importance of the work. People feel better and do better when they are connected to the mission.
• Treat employees and colleagues with respect, gratitude, trust and integrity.
• Encourage people to talk about their problems. Research by Amy Edmondson at Harvard University shows that when leaders are inclusive, humble, and encourage their staff to speak up or ask for help, it leads to better learning and performance outcomes.
• Help your employees and colleagues. Jonathan Haidt at New York University discovered that when leaders are fair and self-sacrificing, their employees become more loyal and committed to the company.
• Recognise the differences between negativity and problem-solving. Someone who points out issues in the workplace or proposes new ideas is very different from someone who complains about the coffee flavours.

Creating a healthy workplace is pretty cheap and simple. It doesn’t require fancy furniture, a ping-pong table, or a bar cart circling the office every afternoon. Be human and show your employees that you care about them. Listen and create a culture of open communication. The results will speak for themselves.

This is an edited extract from Toxic Positivity: Keeping it Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy, by Whitney Goodman (Orion, $33).