EAST LANSING, MI -- Science tells us that haters are going to hate, but a recent study by Michigan State University researchers also says haters in the workplace are less productive.
According to a study by Michigan State University management professor Russell Johnson and doctoral student Szu-Han Lin, workers who point out problems in the office without offering solutions often become mentally fatigued and defensive. This can lead to a drop-off in production, Johnson said.
However, those who suggest ideas for improvement can have a positive effect on the work place, he said.
"The moral of this story is not that we want people to stop raising concerns within the company, because that can be extremely beneficial," he said in a statement. "But, constantly focusing on the negative can have a detrimental effect on the individual."
The study was the first to examine how positive and negative workplace suggestions impact the worker. The study involved two surveys of more than 300 total workers in occupations such as accounting, retail, manufacturing and health care.
The study was published in the February 23 edition of the Journal of Applied Psychology.
Johnson said it's good that employees point out things that are going wrong within a company. However, employees have to find a balance between pointing out things that are wrong and suggesting ideas for improvement.
Employees who spend their time pointing out things that are wrong might end up tired because they're focusing on other people and causing tension in their relationships with coworkers.
"The irony of that is, when people are mentally fatigued they're less likely to point out problems any more," Johnson said. "In addition, their own work performance suffers, they're less likely to be cooperative and helpful and they even exhibit deviant behaviors such as being verbally abusive and stealing from the employer."
Johnson added that companies should reward employees who point out issues that lead to improvements at the company. Instead of harboring resentment, other employees would accept someone pointing out errors because that's what the company wants them to do, he said.
