What’s wrong with continually being positive and upbeat? Don’t we want that in our organizations? Isn’t negativity the poison of creativity and productive workplace relationship? Good questions, and I have been surprised at the number of articles popping up in the literature that are warning against having a culture of ‘toxic positivity’. Being known as a bit of a ‘wet blanket’, these articles intrigued me, so I followed up on them to see what was going on.
Essentially, toxic positivity is where positivity is valued above all else, and negative feelings are deemed inappropriate. A very interesting online article in Medical News Today (read it here) provides some examples of what toxic positivity looks like, and also some risks of what can happen in workplaces where toxic positivity is the requirement. Two of these risks include ignorance of real harm occurring, and growth of low self-esteem among staff. The article offers several strategies to address toxic positivity, including acknowledging that negative emotions exist and are valid, and when dealing with other people, to avoid always having to have a positive response, which is not always helpful.
An article in BBC online (read it here) not only describes the issue, but also offers ‘Tragic Optimism’ a response. The coin ‘Tragic Optimism’, as noted in the article, was first coined by Victor Frankel in 1985. It refers to the fact that hope and meaning can be found in life while also acknowledging the existence of loss, pain, and suffering. This is a great article that does not dwell on the problems but offers some excellent ideas for leaders to consider to ensure their workplace permits employees to experience the full range of human emotions while not getting caught up in destructive patterns of behaviour.
The final, and most comprehensive article, is found on HRM, the news site of the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) (read the article here). The article acknowledges that no-one is happy all the time, and that positivity is good, but not when it is overdone. The danger is that where negative feelings are continually suppressed, eventually they erupt (in my case in spectacular fashion). The impacts of a culture of toxic positivity include:
- More depression, anxiety and negative states manifest in employees due to them being forced to continually maintain a state of happiness
- Distrust grows because people need to hide feelings and not put forward alternative perspectives
The HRM articles goes into the role leaders can play, especially in modelling authenticity to their people and striking the balance between overdoing positivity or negativity at the expense of the other and showing vulnerability and that as a leader you are human and real. There are also some excellent tips for creating workspaces where it is safe to be this person though shared language and safe spaces.
Toxic positivity is an issue worth exploring because it seems so good yet has a very dark side that can be doing more harm than good.