Surviving to Thriving: Overcoming Toxic Workplace Culture

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While the pandemic ignited a renewed, or in many instances a brand-new, focus on worker mental health, organizations are now faced with an even larger and some might argue more difficult challenge.

4.2 million people quit their jobs in August of 2022. In the era of toxic work environments, quiet quitting, unmanageable workloads, poor work-life balance, and staffing shortages, it’s not hard to understand why. The “always on” culture generated by the work-from-home requirements in 2020 and 2021 has now secured its position in both the hybrid and the in-person workplace and is having a detrimental impact on our psychological health.

Top executives have expressed concern for some time that connectivity has been permanently degraded by the virtual work environment, citing it not only slows innovation, but has decreased opportunities and internal collaboration initiatives. As silos within an organization further isolate from one another, elements of toxic workplace behaviors are on the rise.

A 2022 study conducted by MIT’s Sloan School of Management found that a toxic workplace culture is the number one reason people leave their jobs and is over 10 times more likely to contribute to workforce attrition than compensation. What’s more, despite a recent loosening of the historically tight labor market, employees don’t have to settle for a work environment they find to be unethical, unpleasant, or not in line with their core values.

Unfortunately, identifying a toxic workplace can be difficult because it is often (but not always) found at the managerial level and can present itself in different ways (e.g., as harassment, bullying, or unethical practices). Additionally, hybrid or remote workers can experience harassment via email, during video meetings (or being excluded from meeting invites), calls, and messaging apps. A toxic workplace can be one that

Devalues its employees.
Pays poorly (in some instances).
Does not recognize or reward exceptional performance.
Values the customer over the employees.
Fails to allow or encourage educational or career advancement.
Denies employees a voice.
“Gaslights” employees through a series of abusive and often false accusations.
Violates boundaries.
Blurs the line between work life and home life, creating unpredictable schedules.

The question then becomes, how do organizational leaders create the right conditions at work to identify and eliminate any sort of toxic culture to instead support its people, encourage workplace development and collaboration, and allow the physical and psychological health of the workforce to thrive?

Signs

The indicators listed below can signal a declining or ongoing toxic work culture:

Changes in team behavior, unfriendly to one-another
Increased absences
Lack of employee engagement
High staff turnover
Low-quality performance or failure to complete tasks on time
Reduced desire to collaborate with others
Conflicts, lack of willingness to cooperate, and bullying
Increased frequency of incidents or errors
Few or no opportunities for worker growth and promotion

Culture shift

A clear understanding of your organization’s cultural goals, expectations, and policies is crucial and must be led from the top. Top management and line managers should maintain regular, open dialogue with their staff to encourage positive attitudes and behaviors across the organization. Leadership must clarify unacceptable behaviors and accountability if standards are not met and establish clear mechanisms for reporting and investigation of incidents that violate company policies.

Employee engagement and communication

Now more than ever, it is critical to obtain frequent and meaningful feedback from employees on their satisfaction with work as well as what workplace initiatives would benefit them most. Many well-intentioned worker perks or extra benefits fall flat when they are implemented without prior employee engagement. Furthermore, employee engagement must be a two-way street. Regular communication on work matters and efforts to address issues identified in the workplace are always appreciated by employees.

Balance

Employees are now valuing company culture and wellbeing initiatives as a top attribute when considering whether to look for a new job. Part of that cultural expectation is a strong commitment to work/life balance. As our homes and workspaces have blurred, leadership must implement boundaries to avoid soaring work-related stress. A recent report on Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace released by the U.S. Surgeon General emphasizes work-life harmony, appreciation, and growth opportunities as essential elements to workplace mental health and well-being. Additional elements were also discussed in the report.

Read BSI’s Xavier Alcaraz’s continuing HSW series, including Surviving To Thriving: Foundational Steps to Support a Thriving Business, Tech Fusion: Future of Health, Safety, and Well-Being is Now, and Surviving to Thriving: Tackling Workforce Mental Health and Well-Being, as he addresses the future of worker health and safety. Follow along with these and other EHS topics that should be at the top of your list at BSI’s Experts Corner. For more insight into workplace well-being and ways to enhance organizational value for employees, take a look at BSI’s 8 tips for Managers on Health and Safety Management & Psychosocial Risks.