Written By: Shawna Greene
This week I would like to talk about something a little different that many of us have to face in the workplace. Day in and day out we get up and go to work knowing what we have to deal with each day. Being a mortgage processor or an underwriter is not an easy job to have.
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We deal with all types of customers whether they are happy, upset, rude, not motivated to do what’s necessary, impatient, and the list goes on. In our world a customer is not only our borrowers but also members of our teams and other departments we have to deal with on a daily basis. Some days are great and go pretty smooth, and then some days can get pretty stressful.
Having to deal with that stress can be a lot but most of us probably have a good handle on how to deal with it and know how to separate it from our personal lives.
What about when we are not able to separate it and are going home feeling stressed, not being able to function right, and not resting well at night? What is really going on when that happens?
From my experiences and listening to others, I’ve found being stressed about work comes from being in a negative environment. It’s not always about the actual work that we have to do. How many times have we thought about that one job that we were so happy with but we essentially did the exact same work? We were happy with it because it was a positive place to be.
Management promoted positivity, your coworkers were positive and easy to get along with, and that made it easy to get up every day and go to work without feeling so heavy and stressed out. What are some things that cause negativity and how can we deal with it?
The first thing that comes to my mind is workplace drama. This is common in a lot of workplaces in all types of industries. Unnecessary drama is like a cancer to a whole entire office. Some people don’t like change, don’t like certain team members, don’t like managers, don’t like dealing with customers, just don’t like anything seems like.
What happens is that they like to talk about it with others that will listen and thrive off drama. With that comes a lot of backstabbing, awkward moments, and having to constantly watch what you say or do around those kind of persons.
You may have people that don’t like you just because someone else gossiped about things that may not even be true. The workplace becomes divided into cliques of people that only associate with each other because of rumors, gossip, and taking sides. The sad part about it is that it usually only takes 2 or 3 people that can cause all these things to happen and to keep it going. Many times when we go home stressed about work it is usually something to do with being a victim of this negative behavior in some kind of way.
It’s not always easy to avoid this or overcome it but it starts with each of us as individuals. What we can do as individuals is not engage in that type of behavior. If you remember to treat people the way you would like to be treated then you have more opportunity to create good relationships with your teammates.
A simple smile goes a long way to make someone’s day. A genuine effort to see how they are doing or offering to be of assistance to help when overwhelmed makes a coworker feel good and happy to return the favor when needed.
It is never good to form an opinion of another person based on what someone else says. Try getting to know someone personally and find things you have in common with them to build off of. Go to lunch with a new coworker and get to know them. There is nothing wrong with that. You may even find a new friend in that person.
It is always good to have a good friend as an outlet to get your thoughts and feelings out to especially when they can understand exactly what you go through. When noticing negative behavior going on it is good to bring it to the attention of management so they can intervene and take actions to make it stop especially if the effects on the office has been great.
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When they realize there is a problem many managers will put in efforts to promote a positive work environment after they have addressed the issue. It gives you an opportunity to put in your ideas as well in being a part of promoting a positive workplace. Just keep your head up, keep a positive attitude, and dealing with negativity in your workplace can get much easier.
About The Author
Shawna Greene - As an active NAMP® member, Ms. Shawna Greene is a Senior Loan Specialist working full-time with a major U.S. Homebuilder (NVR, Inc). Her work includes processing, training, and assisting loan closers. She has been in the mortgage industry for 12 years working in several aspects of the business including being a mortgage broker, loan officer, loan processor, servicing settlements, loan modifications, special loans, investor reporting, and mortgage defaults. Shawna enjoys this business and looks forward to helping many others learn about it as well. Shawna is also a mortgage instructor for Loan Processor University (www.LoanProcessorTraining.org). If you're interested in becoming a writer for NAMP®, please email us at: contact@mortgageprocessor.org.
