Psychology
Workplace negativity
Unfulfilled expectations can lead to bad feelings in the workplace – regardless of how well you get on with your boss. But a good atmosphere among your colleagues can help to overcome disappointments.
Loyalty demands something in return: if implicit agreements are broken, employees often react with cynicism. | Image: iStockphoto/Drazen Zigic
If you get on well with your boss, this improves workplace performance. But a study among employees in Switzerland has brought forth some surprising results. If a business has to make unpopular decisions, people tend to react even worse when they actually like their boss. This can result in cynical attitudes at work.
“If you feel that management appreciates you, then it’s even more incomprehensible if your employer fails to fulfil certain expectations”, says Julian Pfrombeck, a psychologist at ETH Zurich. There are unspoken assumptions at play in this, such as hopes for promotion. There is an implicit “psychological contract” involved, in which employees expect recompense for their loyalty.
If these implicit understandings are broken – if the company has to undergo restructuring, for example – then negativity at the workplace can emerge. Those affected begin to mistrust their boss and doubt his or her good intentions. This in turn reduces their sense of satisfaction and their motivation. Everyone loses.
But Pfrombeck and his team believe that the seriousness of the consequences can vary a lot, depending on the overall quality of relationships at the workplace. They did a survey among 800 employees about instances where they felt their psychological contract had been broken. They were asked about how they had reacted, and about their relationships with their colleagues and their bosses. Besides finding that things can turn out worse when employees actually trust their boss, Pfrombeck et al. also confirmed something that was not surprising: if employees on the same level of the company hierarchy get on well, they don’t develop so much of a negative attitude. “It helps if you can talk about your disappointments with the people in your team”, says Pfrombeck. So is the answer to develop a good relationship with your immediate colleagues, but ignore your boss?
“On the contrary”, says Pfrombeck. “In crisis situations, you have to invest even more in dialogue than you did before. Negative reactions can actually trigger a storm that clears the air, and if everyone then makes an effort, a healthy, long-term relationship can be established”.
