Combating toxic positivity in the workplace
TODAY’S employees are looking for more than managers who just tell them what to do. They need true leaders who can guide them to rewarding fulfillment in their chosen professions or vocations.
Employees are moving beyond taking just any job for the pay cheque – they are seeking purpose, self-mastery and peak performance; and are yearning to achieve balance in their lives.
Work-life balance is no longer a delusion or a pipe dream; it’s a requirement – as evidenced by the recent quiet quitting phenomenon.
Honesty, authenticity, and empathy form the path to achieving that balance for employees and leaders alike.
Many businesses, companies, and corporations have, thankfully, moved away from dictatorial myway-or-the-highway managerial styles that can create hostile work environments and high employee turnover.
Unfortunately, another troubling trend has emerged: toxic positivity.
The publication Psychology Today defined toxic positivity as “the act of avoiding, suppressing, or rejecting negative emotions or experiences. This may take the form of denying your own emotions or someone else denying your emotions, insisting on positive thinking instead”.
While having or maintaining a positive attitude is not necessarily a bad thing, this pervasive, destructive phenomenon is wreaking havoc in modern workplaces.
Characterised by pretending to be relentlessly happy, toxic positivity is not just undermining workplace culture. It is crippling employee morale and stifling genuine human connections and individual growth and development, while hampering the ability to address and solve problems effectively.
Honest and open communication is critical to any professional environment. When you hide or fake your feelings, your productivity and contribution to the greater good (or bottom line) can and will suffer. When you are confronted by individuals who display this pattern of behaviour, it can be nearly impossible to achieve the desired positive outcomes. It becomes increasingly difficult to foster personal growth, unity, and collective wisdom.
Toxic positivity creates a superficial work environment. Suppressing authentic feelings in favour of a constantly upbeat facade leads to a lack of genuine human connection and understanding.
Say your colleague has just received some devastating personal news, but feels pressure to remain positive and upbeat. Rather than receiving empathy and understanding from management and teammates, this colleague might feel compelled to soldier on despite the effects on mental health. This could lead to decreased productivity, missed deadlines, a breakdown or a blow up.
In a case like this, you should instead open the lines of communication with that colleague and let him know he is supported. Encourage him to take time off to deal with the situation; suggest or facilitate wellness resources; or just lend a sympathetic ear.
Combating toxic positivity starts with setting an example and demonstrating to everyone what it means to be empathetic, open, and honest. Your colleagues will be more inclined to share their trials and tribulations that could affect work performance if they know they are cared for and supported.
That won’t happen if you, as their leader, are inaccessible physically or emotionally.
Honesty, authenticity, and empathy form the path to achieving that balance for employees and leaders alike.
How to combat toxic positivity
1. Authenticity
Being true to oneself and others fosters an environment of trust, respect, and genuine connection.
When people are encouraged to express their true feelings, experiences and perspectives, it leads to more meaningful interactions.
Leaders need to foster authenticity within their teams, and emphasise the importance of open and honest communication in addressing real issues.
Understanding their employees’ and colleagues’ needs, wants, desires and motivations, and allowing them to communicate and express negative circumstances and emotions, will build trust and allow them to work through their issues without negatively or adversely affecting the organisation.
2. Intentional leadership
It is incumbent upon leadership to dismantle toxic positivity and create that culture of authenticity.
Creating such a culture requires intentional leadership.
It demands leaders who are not only self-aware, but also deeply committed to fostering an environment where authenticity is the cornerstone of the organisational culture.
3. Become a transcendent
leader
Take care of yourself first. Acknowledge your current state and identify areas for growth. Align your actions with your true self and purpose.
This will allow you to take conscious steps to create an environment that promotes personal growth, unity, and collective wisdom within your organisation. Model the behaviour you wish to see, openly sharing your challenges and vulnerabilities, and encouraging others to do the same.
4. Develop empathy within the
organisation
Empathy is “the action of understanding, being aware of, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another”. Leaders also need to understand the experiences and perspectives of their team members. Learning to be empathetic can help dismantle toxic positivity, and create a supportive and inclusive work environment.
5. Foster open and honest
communication
Create a space where team members truly feel heard and understood, while moving beyond surface-level engagements and diving into deeper, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations that reveal the heart of the challenges faced by the members of the team or organisation.
It’s in these moments of vulnerability that true connections are forged.
6. Implement policies and practices that prioritise mental health and well-being Offer support and resources for those navigating difficult times, and create regular opportunities for open, honest dialogue.
Employ training and development programmes that teach these elements. Equip your fellow leaders with the tools they need through initiatives that develop emotional intelligence, active listening, and conflict-resolution skills.
Toxic positivity can be and usually is detrimental to the professional work dynamic. You could be ignoring real harm and damaging self-esteem.
Authenticity, on the other hand, allows you to embrace a more balanced and realistic approach to navigating your work and interactions.
Authentic positivity arises naturally when people feel supported, valued, and understood.
It’s grounded in reality, resilient in the face of challenges, inclusive of the full range of human emotions, and allows for a much more fulfilling professional experience and successful business.