Jason* began coaching me just as his organization was coming out of a year-end crisis, exacerbated by the sudden departure of his team leader. He told me that things at work had become “shockingly ugly,” with temper tantrums, power struggles, and meetings that escalated into vilification and public reputation killing. Top management didn’t get involved, choosing to put off “staff issues” until everyone had achieved their year-end goals. On top of his increased workload, Jason took it upon himself to act as a peacemaker between his tense colleagues, only to find himself caught in the crossfire. Feeling resentful, angry, and unsupported, he began to distance himself from his co-workers and became increasingly afraid of work. By the time he approached me for coaching, he was demoralized, distant, and burned out.
Jason’s story highlights one of the most basic but least understood aspects of burnout: workplace cynicism. Recently, I have witnessed a surge in the number of workers suffering from this frustration and loss of confidence in their organizations. Leaders must be aware of the causes and effects of cynicism in the workplace and take steps to create an anti-cynic culture.
The dangers of cynicism in the workplace
While Jason’s situation was a perfect hurricane of acute stressors that led him to burnout quickly, in most cases burnout develops as a result of long-term uncontrollable stress in the workplace, and the stories of most employees are much less dramatic. However, this does not mean that their experiences are less painful or consequences any less urgent. Cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal pain, insomnia, depression symptoms, fatigue, impaired immune function, and headaches are among the many negative effects associated with burnout. ineffective.
Here is how some of my clients, conference attendees, and research participants described their current work experience:
“I’m just calling at this moment. My plan is to get through this until my wife gets a promotion and then leave.” —Jochen, product manager
“What’s the point in trying? I don’t feel like everything I do has any meaningful meaning.” —Adriana, employee of a non-profit organization
“The work we do doesn’t matter in the end. We keep arresting the bad guys, but the prosecutor’s office isn’t doing their job, they’re just putting the bad guys back on the street. It’s completely demoralizing.” —Tony, police sergeant
“Parent/guardian expectations of teachers have reached impossible and unethical heights. It drains my energy and motivation to do what I used to love.” —Malinda, eighth grade teacher
Although there is no single universally accepted definition of burnout, experts generally agree that it is workplace syndrome is characterized by three main features: 1) energy depletion or exhaustion, 2) a cynical or negative attitude towards one’s work, and 3) a decrease in professional performance or a feeling that you are no longer productive or can not work at your best.
This second attribute, workplace cynicism, may be the least understood aspect of burnout due in part to its complexity. Unlike exhaustion and performance impairment, whose causes and effects are relatively simple, cynicism can be caused by a number of factors in the workplace and can be expressed in a wide range of emotional states and behaviors.
V early research on burnoutcynicism has been called “depersonalization”: a state of excessive detachment from the people you serve. However, this is not just a sense of distance, but such a mental and emotional alienation that the people around you begin to lose their individuality and humanity. Social service providers who see their customers as a featureless stream of cases or managers who view their employees as data points on a spreadsheet are examples of employees suffering from depersonalization.
More Recent Research expanded the experience to include negative or inappropriate attitudes towards clients, customers, or your work; irritability at work; loss of idealism; dismissal or dismissal from work. When cynicism sets in, it can look like demotivation, pessimism, rejection, detachment, indifference, hopelessness, anger, numbness, inefficiency, a sense of impasse, or loss of trust.
However it manifests itself, it is important to remember that cynicism in the workplace is not due to some character flaw or the fact that a person is “glass half empty”. It comes from the working environment, not from the person. In fact, many experts view cynicism and depersonalization in the workplace as a form of defensive coping: distancing and withdrawing is a self-defense measure that creates a buffer between the employee and the emotional and energy depletion that their work causes. Even the defenses of ruthless optimists can be broken when they are under a lot of stress, especially when that stress continues unabated.
Cynicism is dangerous for both individual and organizational health. It can quickly take over our thoughts, leading to overwhelming negativity, irritability, and pessimism. Things at work that once brought us energy and joy now seem dull or overwhelmingly difficult, and relationships can sour when we become withdrawn, distrustful, or even, as we saw with Jason and his colleagues, uncharacteristically belligerent. Research has shown that employees in the grip of cynicism have less trust in their peers, leaders, and organizations, perform worse, earn less, and have higher employee turnover. “As Cynicism Evolves,” Burnout Experts Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter tell us that “people go from trying to do their best to doing the bare minimum.” Low engagement alone has cost the global economy $7.8 trillion in lost productivity.
Cynicism can also spread quickly through teams and organizations through a phenomenon known as “emotional contagion.” Employees are more likely to “pick up, accept and repeat” negative and critical attitudes close employeesmaking everyone more stressed, less efficient, and more vulnerable to burnout.
Of the three components of burnout, cynicism is the most important. the most powerful predictor employees’ intentions to quit. And really, it’s not surprising—when cynicism steals your motivation and prevents you from seeing the path to improvement, it’s much easier to give up than it is to try to change your work environment. Indeed, the loss of happy, highly engaged, and deeply motivated employees—either through layoffs or poor performance—is one of the most tragic consequences of workplace cynicism.
How to Create an Anti-Cynical Culture
No matter how terrible all these sounds, is even deep-rooted cynicism can be improved—and better yet, prevent it from infecting your organization in the first place. Here are some strategies to help reverse existing cynicism and create an anti-cynic culture at work.
Take care of yourself first.
Leaders must have self-awareness to control their emotions and behaviors, and self-regulation to project the positive emotions and behaviors they would like to see in others. If you find negativity, cynicism, or indifference creeping in, take small, effective countermeasures to reconnect with optimism and hope. Limit your consumption of news or social media, write down what you’re grateful for, talk to a trusted advisor about your negative feelings, spend more time in nature or with loved ones, and focus on the good in people rather than their flaws. by all means begin to loosen the grip of cynicism.
To help change his negative attitudes, Jason compiled a list of his co-workers’ strengths and likings that allowed him to reconnect with positive memories and discover new ways to connect with his team.
Stop the cycle of negative emotional contagion.
If you find others displaying cynical attitudes and behaviors (e.g., negative attitudes, eye-rolling, gossip, accusations, etc.), address this immediately to stop the negative emotional infection from spreading. Set up a one-on-one meeting to reframe your expectations and figure out what’s driving this behavior—deep, empathetic listening can often involve cynical feelings. With the participation and participation of the employee, make changes to the conditions in the workplace that may be causing this behavior.
Encouragement and practice of empathy.
Unlike cynicism, empathy (often called the antithesis of cynicism) encourages us to look at things from other people’s points of view, rather than from a limited perspective where we expect the worst from the people and experiences we encounter. Create empathy at work by getting to know your employees, welcoming their points of view, and listening to their voices. Don’t ignore or put off their concerns—act on them.
Develop trust.
Employees at high-trust companies report 74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% more productivity, 76% more engagement, and 40% less burnout than low-trust companies . Create an atmosphere of psychological safety where employees are free to talk about their feelings and ideas and make mistakes without fear of shame or repercussions. (It also encourages innovation.) Resist the desire for micromanagement, which indicates a lack of trust.
Practice transparency.
A Deloitte Poll found that nearly half of cynical employees cited a lack of transparent communication as the top reason for leaving. No one likes to be left in the dark, especially when it comes to decisions that affect them, so share important decisions with employees and keep communication channels open. When failures or mistakes happen, acknowledge them and treat them like an organization, rather than sweeping them under the rug.
Give employees more control.
Cynicism and negativism often arise from feelings of helplessness and lack of autonomy. If employees feel they have no control over when, where, and how they work, it undermines their sense of agency and their energy—and their hope for things to get better. Offer flexible working hours and arrangements whenever possible. Encourage employees to share ideas and help set direction, and give them ownership of your results.
Get rid of uncertainty and ambiguity.
Uncertainty is one of the main causes of stress and anxiety, and ambiguity about goals – what you are doing and why – can lead to employees feeling aimless and devalued. Make sure your mission and your team and individual mandates are clear and achievable, and let employees know what they can expect from you.
Try microdoses of positivity.
Changing the culture of an entire company can be an impossible task, but you can bring microdoses of positivity into your work life that will help relieve stress and increase connection, engagement, and morale. Say thank you face to face. Buy lunch for your team. Celebrate victories together. Spontaneously announce that work is over at 3:00 pm and invite the whole team to play bowling or pool.
Or try practicing Jason by occasionally leaving a thank you note on someone’s desk. His team members felt accepted and appreciated, and the warm feelings allowed them to take off their emotional tone at work and begin to heal broken relationships.
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One of the best things about emotional contagion is that it works both ways, so it’s just as easy to spread feelings of empathy, trust, appreciation, and genuine idealism. In a work environment where positivity has gone viral, cynicism has no chance.
Editor’s Note: Names have been changed to protect privacy.
