According to a new study, getting up on the “wrong side of the bed” will have a negative impact on your performance at work, particularly if you deal with customers.
Researchers found that employees’ moods when they clocked in tended to affect how they felt the rest of the day, with their mood linked to their perceptions of customers and how they reacted to customers’ moods.
Mood also affected the amount of work employees did and how well they did it.
Starting the day in a bad mood tends to deteriorate into a negative spiral, with the mood getting worse over the course of the day.
The research has clear implications for managers: do what you can to help your employees start the day in a good mood. While many people scoff at team-building exercises, there may be some merit in such activities.
Companies that dock employees pay if they clock in even one minute late could perhaps rethink that policy. The knowledge that being late for work (whether it’s the employee’s own fault or not) will result in a telling off or wage penalty, isn’t exactly a morale booster.
If an employee starts the day in a foul mood, it could have negative consequences for the company for the reset of the day.