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THE new year often brings with it a longing for change at work, and for those employees who have been affected by the world economic crisis — and, let’s face it, very few haven’t — 2009 could be the one where you’re determined to make a positive start.

Many employees throughout the country were like downtrodden souls going into the Christmas break, and if you were one of the lucky ones to get a two-week holiday, you may have returned to work with a new spring in your step. Forget the recession, forget the continued talk of redundancy and make it your new year’s resolution to think positively.

John Deely, organisational psychologist with Pinpoint, says how you perform in 2009 could be down to the positive mental attitude (PMA) you display.

But how do you hold on to your PMA when all around you are losing theirs? He reminds us to remember that we are in control of our own reality.

Learn to deal with problems — complaining customers, disgruntled employees or lost business — positively. Don’t get downcast, get working. Deely says that generally in a recession job satisfaction can rise because people are grateful for what they have. At the same time, he accedes that it’s hard not to be affected by the constant drip of bad news of job cuts and company closures.

“For people who work in an organisation of a reasonable size, this kind of environment can present an opportunity for you to evolve your career in a way that you wouldn’t necessarily have done during the boom.”

Deely gives the example of organisations that might be focusing more on customer retention at present, and the employees who can create positions to help companies do that.

Through his work, he is helping organisations focus on learned optimism where, rather than looking at the negatives, leaders and their staff focus on the positives and try to develop from there.

“In some ways, people who thrive in a boom have a different mindset to those who will thrive in the current environment. You can retrain yourself to have a more positive, resilient attitude. Not only will that be associated with higher work efficiencies, it will be associated with your health and all aspects of your life.”

There is a difference between positivity and denial, Deely stresses, however.

“It’s important to differentiate between the two and ensure you don’t display blind positivity. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Look at your talent, look at challenges, go online and look to the competition abroad. Examine your own CV and at your skillset and get in touch with your network.”

By instilling in yourself a PMA you can change various work processes, such as having more ‘face time’ in the office. Improve your time-management skills and take a more methodological approach to your work. Assimilate in the office and make friends — on a professional level — with different kinds and ages of workers.

Communicate with colleagues more, but above all be enthusiastic, says Deely. Set strong goals and aim high to achieve them. Show commitment to your job and try your best to look at each new task freshly. Focus on solutions rather than problems, and aim to think of creative solutions, highlighting to your boss that you’re indispensable.

“If you’re happy in your career and have a job, then you need to look at how you can add value, what you’re good at and how you can enhance what you have to offer. You need to manage yourself internally and be more self-promoting and a bit more committed,” says Deely.

Whitespace Ltd 2009

Linda Daly