Toxic work culture;
A toxic workplace is one where aggressive, hostile, or shaming behaviour is ingrained in the basic culture. Employees that work in toxic environments are under stress, communication is restricted, there is a strong blame culture, and bad attitudes and behaviour are frequently rewarded (subtly or overtly).
Unhealthy workplaces foster conflict, rivalry, low morale, ongoing pressures, negativity, illness, high turnover, and sometimes even victimisation. Even worse, Working in a toxic environment is uncommon.
Usually, they go with you home. They overshadow the conversations you have with close friends and family, rob you of much-needed sleep, and overall exacerbate anxiety and stress. Working in a toxic environment can cause stress, fatigue, depression, harm to your self-efficacy, and significant interruptions to your normal life.
8 red flags of a toxic workplace:
You must be able to recognise the warning signs of workplace toxicity. These don’t have explicit HR policies or discipline procedures connected. However, they are red flags that something is off. And by identifying them, you might avoid taking matters to the point of discipline.
Watch out for the following eight indicators since they may alert you to a poisonous work environment.
Gossip culture and breaking into cliques. Individuals are being left out. Lack productivity by gossiping about their co-workers behind people’s backs.
A lack of coordination. Employee feedback often seems to be ignored, and important procedures or events are not transparent enough.
Mistrust between co-workers or in the leadership. People lack confidence in others’ ability to keep their word or show them respect.
Leadership without empathy. Leaders prioritise personal or professional reputation over the welfare of their workforce.
Frequent staff turnover. At your organisation, there are a lot of people quitting after only a few months or there are high levels of burnout.
Witnessing a subtle workplace bullying. Attempting to intimidate, humiliating, or threatening behaviour patterns, such as verbal or emotional abuse.
Dysfunctional work-life balance. People frequently put in extra time at work or are required to respond to emails and calls from the office 24/7.
Inconsistent implementation of the company policies. High performers or “favourites” receive exemptions from discipline or other rules.
How to fix a broken culture:
Provide Leadership workshops
When leadership training differentiates good and bad behaviour, it propagates. If you want your employees to understand what is tolerated and what kind of culture you want to foster, you must include managers in the solution.
Provide leadership workshops. You could discuss topics like FOSTERING INNOVATIVE CULTURE and effective communication to make them aware of the importance of treating team members equitably.
Celebrate Diversity
Celebrating diversity doesn’t mean forcing it. Instead, it means understanding that every individual person has unique qualities.
Their culture, their ideas, their strengths, their weaknesses, their personalities—do you celebrate and find ways to weave these things in. Making space for everyone’s opinions and creating a safe environment benefits both your employees’ health and the performance of your company.
Communicate Meaningfully
Have meaningful communications with the employees through meetings, training or handbooks. Understanding their issues provides feedback. Keep the communication transparent. Inform them about major decisions made and why were the decisions made. When you do this they will understand the importance and will know the WHY behind the decisions.
It’s important to note that gossip and rumours are not meaningful communication. If you hear of this, address the issue before the whole team if appropriate, without humiliating anyone.
Deal with employee turnover
Turnover can both be a problem and symptom. Do not look at turnover as getting rid of “Bad Apples”. But go to the root of the problem. Understand why employees are leaving? Do you have exit interviews ? Do you spot a problem before they leave and talk to them?
Hiring continuously puts the existing employees under pressure and also results in waste of Time and money.
Make work a safe place
Trust is about an underlying sense of safety. And toxic workplaces are anything but safe. You want to create a safe environment for your employees:
Safe from bullying.
Safe from mockery.
Safe from fear-fueled leadership.
Safe to voice ideas.
Safe to voice concerns.
Provide Soft Skill training and Executive Coaching:
It is critical that everyone on the team, not just the leadership, understands proper communication and how to collaborate effectively. Offering leadership courses can assist employees in maintaining a healthy workplace.
Take note of any concerns
Inquiring about what’s going on in your culture is one of the most effective ways to remain informed. Allow employees to express their concerns by soliciting regular feedback. Conduct surveys or 360-degree employee feedback to ask people about their experiences.
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