One person with an abrasive personality can change the atmosphere in an entire office, according to a recent study by University of Washington researchers.

When the offending person is in the office, it can feel like a cold and unfriendly place, but when the person leaves, the place becomes a much more pleasant and welcoming environment. The researchers looked at a number of office setups and the effect of one person who is at odds with the group, either because the person is not pulling his or her weight with work, or because he or she is always complaining or out of sorts emotionally. Aggressive personalities and bullies also have a negative affect on a workplace.

They discovered that all it takes is one person to upset a smooth working atmosphere among a group. In talking with people about their work, they found that almost everyone has had such an experience.

The researchers looked at different kinds of workplaces, including manufacturing, fast food and universities. They looked at groups between five and 15 people, where the people in the group had to work together closely. In these groups, because of the nature of the work, people were less likely to put up with rude or abrasive behavior from other members of the group.

The research showed that in work teams with only one person who was hard to get along with, the effectiveness of the entire group fell. There was conflict as well as lack of communication and cooperation.

Moreover, the researchers said companies really don’t have any plans in place for how to handle this type of problem, especially if the offending employee is a person who has a lot of authority in the company. But they said that companies need to take care of these kinds of problems promptly because their effects can be so widespread. In addition, researchers found that bad behavior has a much bigger impact than does good behavior.

There are several ways to take care of these types of problems, according to the researchers. One way is to talk to the employee directly and let him or her know about the harmful effects of the behavior. If this doesn’t work, the person can be removed from the group. But if nothing is done, team members start to put up walls, and they lose trust in the group.

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