At least 71% of all young people aren’t engaged at work. A staggering 60% or so are always looking for new job opportunities. People just aren’t happy at work anymore.
Many times, their problem has to do with management. Sometimes, they feel like they’re stuck in a rut. They want to move on in their careers.
If this sounds like you, we understand. It’s hard to have a positive attitude at work. This is especially true if you have more than one job to support yourself. You’re tired, burned out, and drained.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t make the most out of what you’re doing. Check out this guide to learn how to stop your mind from drifting into negativity.
Surround Yourself with the Right People
The attitudes of other people rub off on you. If you surround yourself with co-workers who are always complaining, you’ll find that you’ll have something to complain about as well.
Many jobs have an attitude test in place to weed out those who don’t have the right mindset for the job. That doesn’t mean that negative Nancys don’t make their way in, though.
We understand that you don’t pick who your co-workers are. You do control how often you spend time with them. If someone drains you, don’t talk to them in the breakroom or invite them out for after-work drinks.
Encourage Others
Being a supervisor can be stressful. When someone messes up, it’s easy to fly off the handle. Try to be encouraging instead.
Everyone has their off days. When a person messes up, they already feel horrible about themselves. There’s no reason for you to make them feel any worse.
Give them a gentle nudge in the right direction and provide constructive criticism.
Don’t Make Assumptions
Going off our last point, when someone messes up, don’t make assumptions about them. If a person doesn’t have a good work attitude, there’s got to be a reason for it.
You never know what a positive conversation can do for someone. Sit down with them and ask if they have something going on. Sometimes all someone needs is a person to care.
If they don’t want to talk about it, don’t press them. This is a good way to put them in an even worse mood.
Let Good in
When you’re in a bad mood, what do you do about it? Do you try to uplift it, or do you feed it without realizing it? Instead of listening to depressing music, pump something upbeat through your headphones.
Reading encouraging books during your lunch break is a good way to put yourself in a positive work attitude. It’s hard to be happy when your stomach is grumbling. Always start your day out with a nutritious breakfast.
Watch Your Language
No, we don’t mean cursing in this case (though we hope that you aren’t using bad language at work), we mean to watch the words that you use. For example, if you say that you have a million and one tasks to do, it might fill you with a sense of dread.
Something as simple as replacing the word “tasks” with “opportunities” can uplift employee attitude. Give it a shot the next time you’ve got a full day ahead of you.
Have a Routine
Many people will advise against having a routine. To a point, they are correct. Doing the same old, same old week after week can cause you to get stuck in a rut.
We’re here to say that it’s not as bad as it seems. It gives you a structure that you can go by. Depending on your schedule, you can create a routine that works well for you.
For example, don’t wake up right before work. Give yourself a few hours to eat breakfast and get woken up before you head out the door. Structure your workday so you’re taking on the bulk of your work when you’re the most awake.
It Costs You 0 Dollars to Be Nice
It costs you nothing at all to be nice. Don’t bring down employee attitude because you’re in a rotten mood. Again, attitudes are contagious.
If you’re rude and nasty, it may cause others to do the same. Instead, try doing something good for a co-worker. There’s a good chance they’ll spread the good vibes around throughout their day, and helping another person will put you in a better mood as well.
Take a Deep Breath
Between getting yelled at by clients for something that isn’t your fault to dealing with a lazy co-worker, jobs are stressful. There are times when all you want to do is sit in the break room and cry it out.
On days where life is testing you, close your eyes for a second a take a deep breath. As you exhale, you should feel the stress leave your body.
If it doesn’t, this exercise at least gives you a few minutes to think over your situation. You might even come up with a few ways to tackle the problem at hand.
Easy Ways to Have a Positive Attitude at Work
It’s not easy to have a positive attitude at work. You’ve got co-workers that test your patience each day. If it’s not a co-worker, it’s a customer screaming at you for something that’s out of your hands.
It’s enough to give you a tension headache. Instead of complaining and spreading your bad mood around, use some of these methods to see your job in a new light. We promise that it will make all your shifts a little bit brighter.
Sometimes there’s no saving a job, no matter how positive you are. Check out the Jobs section of our site to start browsing around for something new.
