A Survival Guide to Managing Employees from Hell: Handling Idiots, Whiners, Slackers, and Other Workplace Demons

Chapter 6. Negative Nelly or Ned

Some people are so negative, it’s like a black cloud is always following them and they keep poking it to make rain. They are always looking for what’s wrong, or what could go wrong in a situation, rather than appreciating what’s going right. Such a person can be a real downer in the workplace, sowing the seeds of discouragement and undermining motivation. Certainly it’s important to recognize flaws and consider the downside in assessing whether to take a risk. But the negative Nelly or Ned takes this critical approach to the extreme and is constantly whining and complaining. He or she often takes pride when a warned-of disaster comes to pass. Whether or not the person does good work, he or she is difficult to be ...