Whether it be your coworkers, boss or the job in general, there are always ways to improve your your surrounding environment. Our environments are different for each of us, but it is our responsibility to make it the most beneficial ones for ourselves, especially ones we attend day to day. Here are a few key points to improving your work environment:
1. Widen Your Perspective
If you find yourself more upset than happy in your job, there are a few things you can tweak before just downright quitting. Try to have more than just tunnel vision when in a work environment. The more you try to understand other coworkers or even your boss’s perspective, the more open your heart will become and it’ll then make the environment more suitable for you. If you and another coworker or even you and your boss don’t see eye to eye and you tried viewing the situation from another perspective yet still don’t agree, simply request a meeting via email to discuss what exactly is bothering you and how to resolve the issue. And finally, if the treatment or issue does not improve between you and a coworker or boss, it is time to find something new where you can thrive and not be underappreciated.
2. If You See Bitter, Be Better
If every coworker around you seems to be complaining left and right about XYZ reasons and can only feed the air with negative comments, be the different one. Try to eliminate complaints and comment on something good that is taking place in your work environment or even out of it. When your coworkers are talking low about the boss this is a moment where you can broaden their tunnel vision and suggest that maybe the boss has been stressed due to personal matters that we may have no idea he or she is going through. As you start giving off more positivity, you’ll see your surroundings become more positive too.
3. Choose Respect Over Emotion
Even in a situation where you know the other person is in the wrong, and you’re in the right, don’t choose the immature route and raise your voice or blurt out foul words. One, you make a fool out of yourself and your character. And two, you risk being fired. If it’s the boss, a coworker, or whoever it may be that makes you upset, do not act on emotions. Especially if it is someone of higher authority. Simply take a bathroom break, wash your face, and cool off. Even if you have to wipe a few tears or call your best friend, do what you need to to cool down. But walk back in your job confident and calmed down. When the time comes, ask to sit down and meet with the person who made you upset to discuss the situation and how you both can overcome it. This eliminates any tension and makes the work environment easier for both you and the other person.
If you have tried your absolute best to create a better environment and yet there is still no improvement, then don’t hesitate to send in your two weeks and apply for another place. You should not have to be miserable each day because of negative people.
Xoxo,
Bri