Positive Reinforcement-Positive Results

As soon as you replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts, positive things will happen.” Julie “Brain Lady” Anderson

Within the business world today pressures abound. Deadlines, personality conflicts, and competition often cause stress in the workplace. It is easy to allow a flood of negative thoughts to take over. When this happens it can lead to serious problems for the culture of your company. Employees can become disengaged, unhappy, and unproductive. And when that happens, there is a financial cost to the business.

• What if it was in your control to make things different?
• How would you like it if your company had highly engaged and productive employees?
• What would it mean for your overall profitability if you had a very low employee turnover?
• How pleased would your shareholders be when year after year their returns are high?
• Is there a key to creating an atmosphere where this can exist in your company?

Absolutely!

The key is to be positive. Although there are important policies and procedures, tangible processes that need to be in place that will make things run smoother resulting in fewer problems; creating a positive working atmosphere is invaluable in making employees happier and more willing to implement the actual tasks. Science proves it.

Researchers in the field of neuroscience are now able to prove the effects of positive thinking on the human body. When a person is overcome with negativity there is a physical response that takes place. Consider the physical responses and the cost of business:

Employees become disengaged. A Gallup poll in 2014 (http://www.gallup.com/services/178514/state-american-workplace.aspx) showed that 70% of workers are not engaged at work and this costs U.S. companies between $450 and $550 billion per year!

A negative emotional state results in a weaker immune system. A weaker immune system will result in more sick days taken by employees. An obvious financial cost will follow.

Communication will break down because workers will feel “why bother”. Again this will have a negative financial outcome.

When a positive culture is developed then all three of the aforementioned problems begin to fade away. Employees are engaged and happy to do the tasks at hand. Science shows that simply viewing a short film that induced positive emotions will improve the immune systems activity. Communication becomes easier. If you are confident that a conversation will have positive results you are more willing to open the lines of communication.

Now is the time for action. What are some ways that you can encourage positivity in your company?

• Fill the break rooms, conference rooms, and hallways with positive sayings.
• Have the company start each day with a positive message to all. It does not need to be complex or long. Just a quick thought that sets the tone for the day.
• End each day with positive reinforcement.
• Complement the workers on their accomplishments, and acknowledge the efforts of the teams always emphasizing the positive progress.

The more positive reinforcement you give the more positive the results will be.