Want to know if the power of positivity is relevant when you are working on a remote job assignment? Recent studies showing the link between remote work and positivity published in Forbes evidenced that remote work increased employee happiness by 20%. The article elaborated further by stating that 27% of one’s overall happiness with life is due to his happiness at work. So work happiness is a big deal.
38% of managers hold a negative perception of remote work
But what if you like your work at home, tele-commute, or work from anywhere environment, but your boss; not so much? Is this causing a strain in your working relationship with your supervisor or remote team lead?
Maybe what you are fretting about in the back of your mind are other statistics? Like the one showing that many managers have a negative perception of the performance of remote workers. And, you are beginning to feel that your boss may hold this viewpoint. If you aren’t familiar with the HBR research, you can read it here.
Harvard Business Review (HBR) published a study showing that 38% of managers felt that “remote workers usually perform worse” than their peers who work in a traditional in office setting.
Once again, if you are an unlucky remote worker reporting to a remote team lead or supervisor who holds these negative perceptions of remote work, don’t dread it. We have written this article on the power of positivity when working on a remote job just for you.
Success tips against negative remote job managers
You are not entirely helpless. While it is very difficult to change ingrained mindsets that have been held over the course of decades, you can change the manner by which you react to negativity. In the end, you may win over the heart and mind of your boss after all.
Remote workers maintain a positive attitude.
Here then are a few strategies:
- Maintain a positive attitude. When thinking positive, it doesn’t mean that you believe in unicorns. To the contrary. When you have a positive outlook on life, on your job and on the immediate situation, you don’t take the approach of dwelling on the negatives. What do you do?
You focus on what is going right at this point in time, juncture in your career and your life overall. Keeping this attitude means that you don’t have to ruminate about what is going wrong, leading to a ‘Debbie Downer’ attitude. Instead, you’ve trained your mind, using discipline to think about the future, about opportunities yet to unfold.
A positive mindset is healthier too. Negative thoughts about the past, about what you can’t change can cause anxiety which leads to mental illness like Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorders.
Rely less on artificial uppers.
- Less reliance upon artificial uppers. Did you know that maintaining a positive outlook on life makes one less reliant upon artificial stimulants to keep you fueled and energetic throughout the day?
I’m not talking about pharmaceuticals or illegally controlled substances. Just the basics like tea, coffee and soda, for instance.
Research has shown that consuming even moderate amounts of energy drinks, coffee, tea, and soda can be harmful for long-term productivity. The psychologist writing for Psychology Today stressed that while the caffeine contained in these drinks can bring about an artificial high, it is at the cost of draining your ‘future energy reserves.’
So if you are reporting to a boss or supervisor who already believes that remote workers are less productive, the last thing one would do is to drink any product that may ultimately make this false assumption true.
Positivity increases production.
- Increase production. Speaking of productivity; having a positive frame of mind can do much to increase your productivity. Researchers at the University of Warwick, Coventry, England found associations between happiness and production.
When made to feel happier about one’s fate in life, study participants experienced up to 12% increases in productivity in comparison to those who were less happy.
Smiling often can boost mood.
- Smile often. Why? One reason is that you are more physically attractive when you smile. Displaying a positive facial and mental countenance to others can boost your mood.
Research bears this out. For instance, Henry Ford Health studies found that the average adult smiles only 20 times per day. On the other hand, children smile about 400 times per day. In comparison, an adult who considers himself happy only smiles 40 to 50 times per day.
While this rate is about double that of the average adult, it pales in relation to the average child (multiples of 10 times less).
Positive disposition increases earning power.
- Make more money. Did you know that happier people tend to be paid more? It could be true. Financial advisors writing for GoBanking Rates conducted a literature review and determined that, “happiness leads to greater wealth,” on the account of high levels of positivity make it more probable to explore new opportunities and participate in novel experiences.
This finding is contrary to the belief that increased wealth leads to increased happiness.
Still not convinced? We give you one more reason to express positivity in the workplace when working at home.
Get better performance reviews.
- Get better performance reviews. Yes, that’s right. If you are worried about the negative perceptions of your remote team leader or remote supervisor while you are working from you home office, working from home or working from anywhere, adopt a positive attitude.
It can help you keep your job. Motivational speaker, Dan Stotridge reasons, “employers also want happy people on staff to boost morale and promote a good work environment.” For this reason, companies generally rate happy people higher on their performance reviews.
There may be a lot of remote workers performing remote job tasks at home who are concerned about how their work performance is perceived by their manager, supervisors and remote team leaders. If you read remote work research, the heightened levels of anxiety experienced by employees with remote jobs may not be entirely without basis.
