“Emotional Vampires” are the kind of people who drain the emotional energy out of those with whom they come in contact. These people constantly complain and require a lot of attention, which makes them exhausting to be around. They are also experts at sucking emotional reactions out of other people and feeding off of those emotions. If you have someone like this in your business organization, their emotional manipulation can have a significant negative impact if you let it get out of control.
You can avoid having emotional vampires in your business by taking the following steps:
- Establish a clear line of communication – People complain when they feel they cannot express their ideas adequately. If you, as a business owner, make it impossible for your employees to voice their opinions or concerns, employees will find another outlet for venting their frustrations. This usually comes in the form of complaining. Nip this tendency in the bud by establishing a clear channel of communication throughout the organization. By making your employees feel like you care about them and their concerns, you will be able to minimize complaints and problems.
- Stop negativity – One of the most draining situations in a business organization is when people are constantly making negative remarks. These people could be anyone from the bosses down to junior employees. Human nature is such that if one negative comment goes unchecked, many more will follow. Put a stop to this negativity by not encouraging negative comments. Instead, if someone makes a negative remark, either ignore him or respond positively. Invite the person to look at the brighter side of things instead of focusing only on the negative.
- Do not tolerate low performance – People start getting cranky when they perceive injustices in the workplace. If your hardest working employees see that some other employees are lazy it’s almost inevitable that you’ll start hearing some complaints. Require best efforts from all of your employees, and if you see consistently poor performance, take action immediately.
- Turn the complainers into problem-solvers – Discourage people from complaining by directly addressing a complaint. Listen to the complainer, and brainstorm ways to resolve the problem. By involving the complainer in finding a solution, you can invite him or her to become a problem-solver, which can change his attitude going forward.
- Create a complaint channel – Sometimes complaints are warranted and need to be discussed. People with complaints about anything in the organization should have someone to talk to. Designate a person within your organization to hear and address complaints. Make sure that it is someone who is approachable to employees but loyal to the business itself.
- Get organized – Disorganization is a condition that breeds emotional vampires. When people are organized and united, there will be less room for discord and complaints. Make sure that your policies and procedures are airtight to prevent future conflicts.
Emotional vampires can undermine your company if they’re left unchecked. Take steps to discourage negativity, and you’re sure to increase productivity.
