A Positive Workplace is Important

Erica Gomez

South Texas College

ORGL 3311 Issues Organizational Leadership

October 5, 2019
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Every strong leader knows that the backbone of the organization are the employees that

work the front lines day in and day out. “A large and growing body of research on positive

organizational psychology demonstrates that not only is a cut-throat environment harmful to

productivity over time, but that a positive environment will lead to dramatic benefits for

employers, employees, and the bottom line” (Seppala & Cameron, 2015). Employees that are

treated well, respected, and given a voice within an organization grow a sense of loyalty for not

only their leader, but the entire organization. In short positive work environments promote the

overall health of employees, reduce turnover, and promote employee loyalty within the

organization. Therefore, it becomes vital for all leaders to understand the overall importance of

creating and maintaining a positive work environment. Researchers have recognized several

characteristics of organization which can lead to the creation of a positive work environment,

these include open communication, continuous training and development, recognition of hard

work, and a sense of teamwork among the organization. “A positive work environment will

increase employee job performance.” (independent variable- positive work environment;

dependent variable- employee job performance)

The topic of a positive work environment and how it impacts employee job performance

is very important to leaders, employees, and everyone. The reality is that everyone has been

exposed to a leader or an organization at one that does not display or maintain the characteristics

of a positive work environment. As a result of this failure, employees at all levels perform their

jobs minimally and the organization and most importantly the customers suffer. Being a part of

an organization that is led by an individual that strives to maintain a positive work environment

for all employees is essential when attempting to build a career as well as relationship with

customers. Research has shown that organizational characteristics such as open communication,
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continuous training, recognition, and training that employees receive via a positive work

environment have the potential to encourage all employees to always do our best, as well as

preserves their health. Therefore, it is crucial for me to recognize the various characteristics of a

positive work environment and stress its overall importance in the workplace in order to boost

employee job performance. An organizational leader must be aware that by creating and

maintaining a positive work environment, he is not only preventing excessive turnover and

unnecessary costs, but also significantly increasing employee job performance and supporting

the mental and physical health of employees.

The health of employees has long been considered of utmost importance in the overall

job performance of employees within an organization. The reality is that a negative work

environment has a significantly greater chance of producing unnecessary pressure and stress

amongst its employees. “The American Psychological Association estimates that more than $500

billion is siphoned off from the U.S. economy because of workplace stress, and 550 million

workdays are lost each year due to stress on the job. Sixty percent to 80% of workplace accidents

are attributed to stress, and it’s estimated that more than 80% of doctor visits are due to stress”

(Sappala & Cameron, 2015). The high levels of stress in employees has the potential to cause

metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and in severe cases death. “The explanation of the

added stress which results in high doctor visits and missing work is all tied down to one simple

explanation depicted in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs model. Maslow explains that every human

being requires certain needs to be fulfilled in order to live a happy and full life. Three of the five

levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs can be tied to a work environment. The three needs

include, job security (safety), belonging (being supported by peers and leaders), esteem

(respected by peers and leaders)” (Mennella & Holle, 2017). The added pressures of belonging
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to workplace hierarchies is linked to stress that causes disease and even death in employees that

are exposed to negative work environments. “A study by the Karolinksa Institute involving 3000

participants revealed that the lower an employee’s rank within an organizational hierarchy the

higher the employee’s overall stress” (Romanowska et al., 2016). The stress produce negative

work environments leads to various diseases that require continuous treatment. Metabolic

syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and various psychological diseases all require treatment by

physicians. Ultimately, organizations may end up flipping some of the bill for these employees

which are continuously using their health insurances. Most importantly, employees that are not

well in health tend to call in frequently. As a result of this an organization is often short in

workers and is not functioning at its best level possible. Moreover, the absences put additional

stress on employees that must cover for absent employees, thus producing a never-ending

negative cycle of stress and sickness within an organization.

Not only does a negative work environment increase the overall stress and put the health

of employees at risk, it also has the potential to lead to high employee disengagement. Once

again referring to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs engagement in work is correlated to an

employee feeling valued, secure, supported, and respected within the organization. An employee

that is not valued, secure, supported, and respected at work will become disengaged in the long

run. High employee disengagement within an organization is attributed to a negative work

environment. “Studies have revealed that high employee disengagement can be extremely costly

to an organization. Disengagement among workers leads to more absences, accidents, and errors

and defects in products” (Sanders, 2017). Employees that are not engaged in the workplace are

mores susceptible to having and accidents while on the job, simply because they are not

concerned with their surroundings. Not to mention, in a production setting when an employee is
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not engaged the higher the propensity of product having errors or defects. “Products with errors

or defects can not only be costly to an organization in terms of money but can also be costly to

the reputation of the organization if a customer seriously suffers after using or being exposed to a

faulty or defected product. Moreover, disengagement amongst employees results in lower

productivity and lower profitability over time” (Sanders, 2017). Employees that are disengaged

are not concerned with ensuring high productivity for their organization and often do the bare

minimal to keep their job. Due to this lack of engagement these employees produce a much

lower profitability when compared to employees that are engaged in a positive work

environment.

Studies have also revealed that that the lack of loyalty associated with a negative work

environment leads to a high turnover, which negatively impacts an organization in two ways.

Negative workplace stress has the potential to increase turnover rate of an organization by an

astounding 50%. Employees that work in a negative work environment often decline promotions

as a result of fear of added stress. Moreover, these individuals tend to place themselves in the job

market again and resign upon receiving a better job offer from a more positive work

environment. Not only do organizations lose valuable employees as a result of a negative work

environment, but they also lose out on financial resources that can be utilized elsewhere. “The

costs of turnover that a negative work environment must deal with include, recruitment costs,

training costs, lower productivity costs and loss of expertise, which add up to about 20% of that

employee’s originally salary” (Sanders, 2017).

Various conclusions can be drawn from the research regarding negative workplace

environments. The first conclusion is that creating a positive workplace environment can provide

employees with the emotional needs they require to do a great job. Employees need to hear that
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they are appreciated, their opinions are valued, that they are admired, and most importantly that

they are doing a great job. Organizational that show gratitude, spread happiness and motivate

their employees establish employee loyalty to their leader and most importantly the organization.

Celebrating the wins and successes of employees can go a long way in boosting the overall moral

of employees. A certificate, a plaque, or even verbal recognition can empower and motivate an

employee to continue to do their best. A negative work environment consists of leadership that

sees mistakes and faults only, but places little importance on positive accomplishments.

Therefore, a positive work environment would stress accomplishments and limit the blame and

pressure that is put on employees when something goes wrong.

Not to mention the overall emotional and physical health of employees is improved by

the leader simply changing the way employees are treated. For example, encouraging positive

thinking in the workplace and providing resources within the organization that help target, deal

and eliminate workplace stress can do wonders for improving the overall health of employees.

Major organizations such as Google have incorporated nap rooms and coffee lounges in their

workplace environment in order to promote a more productive and relaxed environment. Stress

management trainings can also help promote a positive work environment. Some organizations

have even recognized the value of paying for gym memberships that their employees can use at

their own discretion in order to help them have a positive outlet to deal with stress.

Also, the value in having a positive work environment can be seen in the fact that

employees are more engaged when a positive work environment exits. Engagement employees

are not as likely to call in sick, because they know they play a fundamental role in the daily

operations of the organization. Furthermore, and employee that is engaged puts his heart and soul

into the job they are carrying out. When the engaged employees work, they ensure that their
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products are at their absolute best, and errors and faulty products are very rarely produced.

Engaged employees recognize that a faulty or defective product not only speaks ill of them, but

also the entire organization.

Most importantly positive work environments have a much lower turnover rate, almost

50% less than negative workplace environments. In the long run the overall financial resources

of an organization are preserved in a positive work environment, because employees are happy

where they are and do not go out into the job market. These employees take advantage of

promotions that arise in the organization and grow loyalty to their leader and the organization.

The organization does not spend excessive money on recruiting new employees or training new

employees, which can both be costly not only in finances but also in time. Moreover, the

expertise that current employees within the organization possess will not be lost as a result of

high turnover rates.

In short positive work environments promote the overall health of employees, reduce

turnover, and promote employee loyalty within the organization. Therefore, it becomes vital for

all leaders to understand the overall importance of creating and maintaining a positive work

environment. Researchers have recognized several characteristics of organization which can lead

to the creation of a positive work environment, these include open communication, continuous

training and development, recognition of hard work, and a sense of teamwork among the

organization. “A positive work environment will increase employee job performance.”

Therefore, organizational leaders must strive to create positive work environments in order to

ensure the long-term success of their employees and their organizations.

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References

Romanowska, J., Nyberg, A., & Theorell, T. (2016). Developing Leadership and Employee

Health Through the Arts: Improving Leader-Employee Relationships. Basingstoke:

Springer.

Sanders, G. I. (2017, April 21). Employee Productivity Statistics: Every Stat You Need to

Know. Retrieved from https://dynamicsignal.com/2017/04/21/employee-productivity-

statistics-every-stat-need-know/

Seppala, E., & Cameron, K. (2015, December 1). Proof that positive work cultures are more

productive. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/12/proof-that-positive-work-cultures-

are-more-productive