Editorial
While a myriad of reasons have led to employee engagement reaching its lowest level since 2015, with only 32% engaged in their work, workplace culture plays a significant role. The atmosphere or energy of an organization can influence performance, well-being and success. When an organization is positively energized it can foster motivation, positivity and increased engagement. However, a negative vibe can increase stress and frustration. We all know those environments, the ones where people are drained, everything is always reactive and they lack any form of zest, growth and forward momentum. We also all know “energy vampires,” the people that drain your energy or always seem to have a negative outlook.
With energy being contagious, and negative emotions easily spread, leaders should be aware of those that may be generating a negative vibe. Let’s take a look at energy vampires, how to spot them and what you can do about them.
How to Spot an Energy Vampire
The easiest way to identify an energy vampire is to see how you feel after interacting with them. If you leave an interaction more de-energized or drained than before, feel less motivated or feel more negatively, you were likely interacting with an energy vampire.
“In general, energy vampires have an overall low energy level themselves. They may experience feeling ‘empty’ and not having enough,” said Kathi Joy, CEO of LumiereWork and author of “Empowerment Amidst Chaos: Master Any Moment with Creativity and Grace.”
Robert Garcia, vice president of Coaching in Organizations at the International Coaching Federation, noted some other telltale signs to look out for. He said they may be “frequent complainers who focus on the negative aspects of every situation without offering solutions,” that they may “avoid taking responsibility for their actions and frequently shift blame onto others” and, in some cases, they may be even, “engage in office politics, spread rumors and foster a negative work environment, stirring up drama and conflicts.”
Whether it’s eye rolls when people suggest ideas, snappy comments, constant whining or not showing an interest in being a part of the team, it can drain those around them.
How Energy Vampires Can Impact Your Team or Organization
Negative attitudes and behaviors can create a discouraging work environment. There is a “tax” to being around constant negativity, and many people will eventually not be able to handle it. It can lead to increased stress, burnout and disengagement, which all lead to decreased productivity, talent retention, and business success. As Garcia says, “employees overwhelmed by the constant negativity and drama, find it challenging to focus on their tasks and perform at their best.”
Energy vampires can be difficult and draining to deal with for their managers as well. Having had his own experiences with an energy vampire, Garcia explained, “I found that my team’s productivity declined, and I spent more of my time resolving conflicts that would arise as a result of the energy vampire’s behavior. The constant negativity can hinder innovation and creativity, as employees may be reluctant to share new ideas or take risks in such an environment.”
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How to Handle an Energy Vampire
While energy vampires may not even realize their impact, and whether their behaviors are intentional or unintentional, these challenging situations must be addressed and managed as soon as possible. The longer it is left, the harder it is to overcome and the more likely the negativity will spread and take root.
Don’t Make Assumptions
When you suspect you have an energy vampire, or indeed identify one, don’t race to conclusions. Find out if this is a change in their normal behavior or a pattern. A 1-on-1 conversation with them can help create a safe space in which you can understand their motive.
For some energy vampires, their negativity could be stemming from an increased workload, burnout, feeling undervalued or dismissed or a disconnect with how they contribute to meaningful goals.
It could also stem from their personal life or something deeper. As Joy noted, energy vampires can sometimes “lean too much on external or be too reliant on environmental factors to boost them up. They typically have a feeling of never having enough of anything: time, energy, money or love. Since they have less internal energy, they can often collapse or not feel satisfaction very easily.”
She also mentioned that if they are too isolated, they will underperform. In these cases, it can be a vicious cycle. Due to their negativity, other employees may start to distance themselves from them. While this may help others protect their own energy and well-being, it can increase isolation for the energy vampire, which can then fuel more negative energy and behaviors.
Joy cautioned leaders to not assume that all energy vampires are “trying to be annoying or high maintenance.”
“When they are ‘nourished’ they can be amazing contributors,” Joy said, with many of them being, “empathetic, caring, and genuinely interested in others.” She also reminded leaders that, for some, they will, “need a more attentive management style,” may “need regular feedback” and “thrive on praise.”
Create a Personal Plan Based on Context
Not all cases are the same, therefore the action plan may take many forms. First, distinguish if it is someone whose depletion and negative energy can be resolved by taking the right and necessary action steps, or if they are a truly toxic employee or are unwilling to work on their negativity. In the latter two cases, you may well have to consider removing them from the organization.
But in the first case, really understanding the root causes of their discontent, frustration and energy drain can help identify their personal path forward. Do they need to better understand their growth plan? Do they have too much on their plate? Are they equipped and enabled to perform their best?
As Garcia points out, “support mechanisms like establishing a coaching program within an organization can be invaluable.” Speaking of his own experience he said, “I learned quickly to schedule time on a regular basis with the energy vampire on my team and use coaching skills such as goal setting, active listening, powerful questions and giving feedback.”
And the outcome? Within a few months, they had “expressed appreciation for these conversations and other team members noticed a change too.” They even “became more confident, started working more independently, used more proactive approaches to processes — and above all else, there was much less drama negatively impacting the organization.”
Related Article: 6 Tips for Building More Resilient People, Teams and Organizations
Focus on Building a Positively Energized Culture
Working with numerous organizations at MEvolution, we see that leaders who truly understand their organization’s capacity, support employees’ understanding of their individual sources of mental, emotional, and physical energy drain, as well as their opportunities to be energized, are better equipped to create a focused, systematic plan. This helps them make the right investments to build and maintain a culture of positive attitudes and actions.
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What to do will depend on your organization. Beyond fair pay, it may include looking at your policies and game plans in a number of areas, such as flexibility, employee growth and development, acknowledgement and appreciation, transparency or inclusion.
These organizations are also willing to look at their own organizational behaviors, systems and structures to understand where they may reinforce negative or draining behaviors or where they may not be supporting employees in the way they intend.
You can start by asking questions such as, “what is draining or wasting energy?” Keep in mind this may include processes, behaviors or ways of working. In addition, find where the positive energy is coming from and how to maximize that momentum. Perhaps you are doing a lot of social good or have development opportunities that employees are not aware of. Where can you make shifts to use your organization's capacity in more meaningful ways? This can include looking at projects and objectives to align employees' time and contributions more purposefully.
When you strive to build a positively energized culture, where each employee that wants to can be their best self, the outcome will be a motivated, resilient and thriving community that can innovate and achieve great success together.
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