New Report Provides Valuable Insights About Mood, Productivity, and Collaboration
For our regular readers, it is likely no surprise that a growing body of research supports what we have been suggesting all along: mood has a direct impact on productivity, and negativity can severely undermine the productivity of your workplace. Several of our posts have touched on this subject, and here are just a few to consider:
Niko Niko Calendars: Benefits and Challenges to Tracking Moods
Employee Engagement: Researchers Find Link Between Happiness and Productivity
Increasing Positive Emotion at Work
Mood vs. Emotion
Happiness Hacking: Tips to Happier Work and Life: Have a Halloween Party!
Now, we have additional data to add, in the form of a revealing study conducted by Noel Radley over at Software Advice™, a company that reviews and compares online project management technology. The study reports the findings of a survey conducted among 1,552 adults regarding their observations of negative emotions in the workplace, and the impact these observations had on their own moods and performances.
Frequency of Perceived Negative Emotions From Co-Workers
Here are just a few of the highlights the report provides regarding the observation of negativity in the workplace:
84% of respondents stated they observed a co-worker who was exhibiting negative emotions, such as anger or frustration, in the workplace
34% of the respondents indicated that these observations were made “regularly,” while another 29% stated they were occasional
73% of respondents had seen such emotions exhibited by managers
Only 14% cited these types of behaviors occurring in managers “regularly,” with 35% stating that it had happened only “rarely”
The report goes on to explain that, upon self-evaluation, a majority of respondents (75%, in fact) felt that the negative emotions they observed impacted their mood and productivity. The impact tended to vary per respondent, with 21% saying it would have a “significant impact” on mood and 24% indicating a “significant impact” on productivity.
There are many other significant findings and explanations in the report, such as “group mood,” perceived responsibility for negative emotions, and the role of management in influencing emotion in the workplace. If you are concerned about mood and productivity in your office, or even simply want to know more about how your behavior and actions might be impacting your co-workers, it is definitely worth an in-depth read-through for some valuable insights (see link at the bottom of the page!).
How Niko Niko Can Help
So, if mood and productivity are inextricably linked, and management can have a significant impact on employee’s emotions, what are some of the solutions companies can implement for enhancing mood and thereby enjoying increased productivity?
We here at Niko Niko have been working hard on one particular means for generating a solution: mood-tracking.
We’ve discussed the importance of having data close at hand and utilizing people metrics to improve your organization. But, to summarize: it is difficult to improve what you cannot adequately measure. A system like Niko Niko provides a means of tracking and recording the moods of your team members. The benefits of such a system are manifold:
Establish a baseline to see what the general mood of your team or organization is right now.
See which activities generate what types of moods in your team members.
Assess individual team member moods on a regular basis to identify individuals who may be struggling and take appropriate action, including providing support and counseling as needed.
Propose and implement solutions and see how these solutions impact the incoming mood data; then, obtain additional feedback to adjust these solutions as needed.
Having the data at-hand is just one step in the process, but knowing where your organization stands and being able to evaluate your improvements on an ongoing basis can be valuable, whether you are facing a significant problem with morale or simply want to fine-tune your work environment to increase employee satisfaction and facilitate productivity.
What insights do you take away from the Software Advice™ study? How would you utilize mood data in your organization for the benefit of your company and your employees? Share with us in the comments!













