Encouraging self reflection and honesty may help them understand how they are perceived to others and they may make positive changes on their own. Before the storytelling, we had a lot of ice-breakers and learned about emotions and moods. I always spend a lot of time in our ice-breaker workshops, and the children get really excited to hear a new story! Ice-breakers Learning the basic vocabulary – part 1 I’m incredibly proud of the programme and what we have achieved so far. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Brilliant Cumbria as we have secured funding for more schools to join so I’m super excited.” The children had some tasks during dramatization to motivate them to listen to the story and concentrate better. Dusty the Mood Hoover was created by engineers at Forth after Cumbria Waste Solutions donated the wheely bin, and Phil Todhunter, of the TDA, illustrated it.

Another preventative measure at recruitment stage is to be clear about the role and not over-inflate expectations. ‘You can recruit people with a positive mindset – who then feel let down if they feel they were sold an opportunity which isn’t the reality,’ Helen explains. Nip negativity in the bud getting up every single morning and complaining about how tired and / or ill he is. I deal with 100% of night wakings and just get on with it so don’t have much sympathy..that’s not to say he isn’t allowed to be tired but it’s every single day and he only works 4 days s week at the moment, normal hours.

The final thing to look out for is constant complaining. If a compliment or praise is rare to pass their lips, then you’ve got a mood hoover. They are utterly exhausting, if a conversation with them leaves you feeling that you need a 10-minute break so you can watch videos of puppies, you’ve certainly met one.

Think about your organisational values and what these look like in actual people behaviours. For example, ‘Being a strong team player’ is a popular value. If this isn’t enough then you can lend a sympathetic ear for a short time. They may just need to know that their concerns have been heard and not dismissed outright. With that said it’s important to promote and protect your own positive mindset too. If they are affecting your productivity try to limit your time with them. If this isn’t enough then calmly and politely insist that while you can discuss some things with them your workload is just as significant as theirs and they need to respect professional boundaries.Naturally, if they’re unable to take responsibility then that means that somebody else must. This breeds resentment and ill-feeling between staff and by preventing members of your team working effectively together, will ultimately lead to decreased performance across the entire team. There will always be colleagues who like a good moan, but they’re a laugh to work with too. They’ll cheer you up when you’re down. They’ll ask you how you feel and listen. The mood hoover doesn’t do this. Yes, it has been tough for everyone adapting to the new virtual world of schooling, but constantly moaning about it isn’t helpful. I’ve been teaching online lessons and yes, it was hard at first, but you give it a go; try it out; learn; adapt. It’s not ideal, but it’s trying to make the best of a bad situation.

Negative emotions are contagious and in an office you can’t just get up or go for a walk to avoid someone. As unpleasant as it can be to deal with them yourself there are some helpful tactics you can use that will benefit you and the resident mood hoover too. Depending on who the hoover is can also depend on how you approach such a situation. If they are a member of your family, it could be very difficult to try and challenge how they are acting. Perhaps they have always been like this and it isn’t realised until much later on in life that this is the effect they have on conversations and interactions. They may be seen as having a respected role within the family, and therefore challenging what and how they say things just isn’t the done thing. Every family has their own way of dealing with issues, but perhaps it isn’t an issue – perhaps that is just the way people are. But in such a circumstance, it would just have to be put up with; for it to be ignored. Alternatively, they simply play the game and do their own thing anyway. I’ve often planned for my team, only to find the mood hoover did it all completely differently, if at all. My tools would be: put you & kids first always; look after your MH - find a physical activity to release stress. See your friends regularly. If you work, get yourself a sensible development plan taking into account when the kids go into F/T education. Emotions - particularly those expressed in the micro expressions of the face give a signal to others, to approach us or avoid us. So our emotions can either connect or disconnect us with others.We all have a super power that allows us to choose our own attitude everyday. Don’t choose to be a mood hoover. Choose to be a radiator of energy and positivity! Find your own way(s) of relaxing and being happy. This could be through mindfulness, yoga, watching a film/TV programme, taking part in a hobby, or even just talking to friends and/or family members. Talk to them. As a manager, take them aside and discuss their problems and behaviour. You’ll be able to ascertain whether their grievances are legitimate or not, and provided they are willing to grow, you can work with them to change their behaviour. You may even find they’re unaware of their actions. People who are willing to change will benefit the most from dedicated coaching from Brightstone. Being human, we will all have the odd day during our working lives when we don’t feel 100% or something at home or work is playing on our mind. As long as overall our contribution to the world of work and particularly our colleagues is positive and adds to the camaraderie, the odd minor grump can be overlooked. True ‘mood hoovers’ however, can make for a more difficult employee, as they are entrenched in their behaviour. They are the people who are resistant to change and have an attitude that is negative about everything (and often everybody.) They can really detract from continuous improvement and drain energy from your team. Consider consulting any of these 11 Human Resources and Personnel Consultants listed on yellow.com.mt.