Protect yourself with the Attitude virus at your workplace -By Aanchal Singh from SIBM Nagpur

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You must have experienced how the two employees from the same workplace, same work profile have totally different attitudes. Right? But what is the differentiating factor? Well, many of you may be well acquainted with the term ‘Attitude virus’, while others might not. So here I am, talking about the A to Z of the attitude virus - something that is communicable and spread in minutes!

A few days back I was at this salon well known for its services, however, due to the pandemic, there was no queue for the first time. So, I walked up to the reception and told them about the services that I needed. I saw a hairstylist sitting on the chair using her phone. I went to her and said, “ Hello ma’am, I'm here for a haircut.”  To my surprise, I received a not-so-friendly gesture in return which made me a bit uncomfortable. On the contrary, when I started walking back, I saw another employee who greeted me with a smile and asked me how I am doing? 

This contrasting behavior between the two employees of the same firm and profile is something very usual. Looking at both the behaviors, it is no big deal to decide which employee you will prefer to go with. This is known as ‘Attitude virus’, it can be seen everywhere - hiding at workplaces, in cafes, even in our own family. One person infected by an Attitude virus can easily infect the entire workplace including colleagues, supervisors, and customers. 

Us and the virus

Picture yourself, that you are heading into a meeting, feeling confident about yourself, and then you see a pessimistic coworker walking in. The whole team might have a feeling of positivity, confidence, and happiness but one pessimistic coworker has the power to bring the whole team down and leave a negative effect if left unchecked. As the proverb goes - a rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel and the same could be seen when it comes to ‘Attitude virus’. Before you get to know, the whole barrel is infected. 

This virus is always carried and transmitted by a non-performing or underperforming employee or an overconfident employee and that particularly, slowly infects the healthy employees which leads to low productivity, complaints, poor outcome, and interpersonal relationships.

Some people wish to transmit their negativity with the world and it spread like wildfire. Sometimes we might not realize they are causing harm to us. There are situations that might be putting us at risk and, without us knowing it, damaging our sense of worth.

Do you have an Attitude virus around?

Fortunately, there are warning signs of an Attitude virus that you can look for within yourself or the person you're dealing with. The symptoms are: 

Playing the victim

People who suffer from a victim mentality assume that they have power over the lives of others and blame others for how unhappy they are. They play on your feelings of empathy and goodwill to see how much energy and time they can absorb from you.

Have you ever been in a situation where you believed that someone owed you an apology but by the end of the conversation you ended up apologizing instead? Now that is the classic victim attitude. They always find someone to blame for their problems. For example, they didn't meet the deadline because their manager didn't remind them about it.

Pathological liars

Most of us have found ourselves telling a white lie at some point in our lives, but a pathological liar is someone who constantly tells lies usually in an effort to protect their image. They tend to be impulsive with a deep need to impress others. Sometimes, they might lie to you just because they can without any purpose.

Selfish souls

These people are so busy thinking about themselves that they rarely show any concern for others. They can talk about themselves for hours without being interested to spare one question for you.

Being cocksure

The people with Attitude virus are so thin-skinned that they can't even stand the thought that they can be wrong as well. It doesn't matter how tiny the issue is, they will still argue until you give-up. Your opinion or in fact, even the truth doesn't matter to them.

Now since you know the symptoms of the Attitude virus, it is time you question yourself. Think,

• Does your mood drop after talking to a particular person?
• Is there someone who speaks only about bad news and negative stories?
• Is there someone who complains non-stop?
• While reading this did you find yourself with the Attitude virus? Test yourself, now.

How to crush the Attitude virus?

The attitude virus is all around, but dealing with it and staying positive is a skill that everyone needs to master to stay motivated in life. 

Set a new boundary

You can set and maintain certain boundaries that might be as simple as saying a NO. Don't let that virus weaken your boundaries for their own gain.

Maybe you are at work and your boss or a co-worker is one of those infected persons who is trying to get you to take on the extra work. So how to deal with that? You just say, “Sorry, I have a lot on my plate right now, we need to give that work to someone else.”

Observe

When you are observing the other person, watch it like you are watching a movie. You can see this person and you can depersonalize the abuse, you are not caught in the drama and that's the reason you do not emotionally react to what they are doing.

Be polite and honest

If a person is rude to you that doesn't mean you too have to be the same. Make sure that you react the way you are by your own standards, and let others see for what they actually are.

How can organizations immunize the workplace from the virus?

The first step is diagnosis. Acknowledge that there is an Attitude problem among the employees. This requires regular feedback from employees, customers, and suppliers. Sometimes a single person can be the cause of this problem. Other times there can be multiple causes. Be alert to the early warning signs, recognize the underlying causes, and act decisively. 

Next is the treatment. If there is a single person infected with the Attitude virus take that person aside for private counseling. Try to come to a resolution. But if there are multiple cases then take the responsibility of your employees and the manager who fight the infection and are exposed on a daily basis. Train your employees and managers the skills to treat or isolate the infected employee. 

It is important to take precautions to reduce the risk of this transmission. Learning new and better ways to perform is no longer a choice but a necessity. And now it is time to attack the Attitude virus and immunize ourselves.