Lisa Shuster, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the Chief People Officer for iHire, an industry-specific recruitment platform.
getty
A recent American Psychological Association survey showed that nearly one in five workers say their workplace is somewhat or very toxic. For business leaders, this should be unsettling. Toxic work environments—those characterized by unhealthy or harmful behaviors, attitudes and dynamics—are detrimental to employees’ productivity, morale and well-being.
Beyond impacting individual employees, toxic workplaces can affect entire businesses. Your company’s ability to recruit and retain talent can suffer, diminishing your brand. Plus, lawsuits are more prevalent in companies with toxic or hostile environments. Therefore, it's imperative to prevent the creation or growth of these situations.
7 Signs Of A Toxic Work Environment
How do you know if your workplace has become unhealthy? A good place to begin your efforts is to look for symptoms like high turnover, low morale, lower-quality work and frequent absences. Then, try to trace it back to some of these classic signs.
1. Employees are disrespectful and uncivil. Do your employees consistently belittle, demean or insult others, causing frequent conflicts and arguments? Are there regular instances of bullying or harassment, whether overt or subtle?
2. Communication breakdowns, lack of transparency and/or a culture of secrecy prevail. Are rumors, gossip or withholding of information creating confusion, mistrust and misunderstandings?
3. High levels of stress run rampant. Do employees face unmanageable workloads, unrealistic expectations and constant pressure? Overworking, burnout and insufficient support are ingredients for a toxic workplace.
4. Managers excessively micromanage. Do managers control and monitor their teams in a way that leaves little room for employees' autonomy, creativity or decision-making?
5. Favoritism and unfair treatment are evident. Are policies and rules inconsistently applied in favor of certain employees? Inequitable promotions, assignments or rewards can drive resentment and demotivation.
6. Accountability falls by the wayside. Do workers fail to acknowledge their mistakes, address issues or shift blame?
7. Employees receive little recognition. Do associates feel undervalued, unappreciated and unsupported? A lack of constructive feedback, acknowledgment of achievements or opportunities for growth and development contribute to a toxic workplace.
If your company exhibits two or more of these traits, it’s time for a change.
7 Remedies To Help Reform Company Culture
If you suspect a toxic environment, to better understand the scope of the problem, conduct anonymous surveys to see how employees really feel about it. In particularly toxic situations, a third-party specialist in employee engagement and workplace culture can help you build a road map to get your company on the right track.
While every organization is different, once you understand the underlying issues, these strategies can help you tackle toxicity.
1. Start at the top.
Poor management is one of the most common causes of a toxic workplace. Often, the issue stems from the fact that high performers are moved into management but don't get proper training. Other times, training is a one-and-done initiative. Providing ongoing training and reinforcing desired behaviors will help leaders cultivate strong relationships with the employees who look to them for guidance.
2. Establish clear expectations and policies.
Clear policies help managers lead by example and give employees something to fall back on when they're unsure about a situation. Define expected behaviors and values through a comprehensive code of conduct or employee handbook. These policies should be fair, transparent and consistently enforced to inspire accountability. Then be sure to update your documentation regularly.
3. Address conflicts and disputes promptly.
Letting contentions sit is one of the fastest ways to create a toxic work environment. When employees don’t feel heard or supported, the issue will perpetuate or worsen. It's vital to promptly and objectively address conflicts and disputes between employees. Provide a safe and confidential mechanism for reporting grievances and establish a fair, impartial process for investigating and resolving challenges.
4. Foster transparent communication.
Encourage honest communication between employees and management as well as between individual employees. Make sure staff know their ideas are always welcome. Create multiple channels for feedback, such as suggestion boxes or anonymous pulse surveys, and actively listen to concerns and suggestions.
5. Encourage collaboration.
Enable teamwork, knowledge sharing and cross-departmental cooperation, and implement projects where employees work toward a common goal together. To create a sense of community, consider companywide get-togethers like team-building events. For example, my admin team recently completed a rope climbing course! The relationships and bonds that are shaped by such activities can make it a bit easier to address challenging situations.
6. Recognize and reward positive behavior.
Implement systems, including peer recognition, to acknowledge and reward employees who exhibit positive behavior, such as teamwork, innovation and exceptional performance. This reinforces a culture of positivity and motivates employees.
7. Know when it’s time to fire a toxic employee.
In cases where an employee consistently exhibits behavior that undermines the work environment and negatively impacts the team or organization, termination may be necessary. Look at employees who engage in disruptive behavior, bullying, poor performance, lack of responsibility or breach of company policies.
Before committing to termination, follow appropriate procedures, conduct thorough investigations if necessary and consider the potential impact on the remaining team. Warnings, performance improvement plans or corrective actions may remedy the situation before termination is warranted.
Additional ways to turn around a toxic workplace include promoting better work-life balance to reduce stress and improve well-being or embracing diversity and inclusion, which enables everyone to be themselves without fear of judgment. Providing training and development opportunities can also help staff enhance their skills, leading to higher levels of confidence and job satisfaction that can keep your workplace out of toxic territory.
Don't Let A Toxic Workplace Go Unaddressed
Reforming a toxic workplace isn't an overnight activity; trust must be rebuilt one action at a time. Leadership must also evaluate their own behavior and how they're contributing to the problem.
When you make an effort to recognize the signs, address the resulting issues and proactively prevent them from reoccurring, your culture can flourish. This will make it easier to recruit and retain employees, as well as boost your employer brand and grow your business.
Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
