Published on: July 8, 2025 at 9:45 pm
The emotions that workers bring to the job and experience in the workplace have a lot to do with their performance, and especially in these uncertain times, managers need to be tuned in and attentive to employees’ well-being. In addition, workers should consider emulating high performers’ morning mindset and routines to try to start off the day on the right foot.
According to Academy of Management Scholar Nancy Rothbard of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, which side of the bed workers wake up on impacts how well they do their work.
“The emotion that you bring to work at the start of the day—whether you’re more negative or more positive than your baseline—really affects your ability to actually focus on your work and to do your work,” Rothbard said. “When you come in more negative, then you end up being less productive, so in these negative times, I would expect that if you’re coming in to work and you’re upset or worried about stuff, that’s going to make you more distracted.
“It’s going to make you less able to focus on the work that you have to do,” she said. “You’re not going to get as much done, and you’re not going to be performing at top quality levels.
“And so it’s something that managers really need to pay attention to, so that they can try to reset people as much as they are able.”
Rothbard said managers have to be careful about not making the problem worse.
“If somebody comes in to work and they look like they’re not really at the top of their game, jumping all over them at the beginning of the workday is not going to help things,” she said. “On the contrary, it’s going to make them spiral even more.”
According to Rothbard, often it’s the simplest things that can turn workers’ emotions from negative to more positive and thus make them more productive, which is good for the business.
“It’s not rocket science, but we forget to do these things, such as having a group huddle at the beginning of the day where you share positive news and show that you are appreciative of people,” Rothbard said. “Smile at them; show that you are listening to them if they tell you what they’re worried about.
“Even if you can’t help them with something, you can listen and show that you care,” she said. “Those are the kinds of things that can make a huge difference.
“Again, that isn’t incredibly costly; it’s amazing how few people do it, though.”
