2 September 2024
What's a toxic work environment, and how do you fix one?
Toxicity in the workplace is one of the most important concerns for many employees, but it can be incredibly insidious. How do you stop this from affecting your day-to-day operations?
What's a toxic work environment?
In short, a toxic workplace environment is one where employees don’t feel safe. This can be in the most literal sense, where they’re bullied or undermined or threatened, but it can also be more nuanced. Psychological safety- the idea that someone can question authority, suggest off the wall ideas, and have space to try something and fail- is crucial to an effective working day.
There are numerous factors that can lead to a toxic environment. One of them is role confusion and general workplace dysfunction. Not knowing who’s responsible for what (especially when this can shift around a lot) can lead to a culture of blame. High performance is important, but it needs to be sustainable.
Likewise, if bullies and cliques aren’t kept in check, this can lead to more toxicity.
If you put too much focus on productivity over quality, over ‘just get it done’ without offering grace or credit, if you don’t trust your employees to do their jobs and load their systems with bossware and employee surveillance tools, these will all lead to a toxic workplace environment. When people don’t feel trusted, they’ll respond in kind.
Signs of a toxic workplace
A toxic workplace can occur in any workplace, from the biggest multinational corporations to the smallest startups. This means the exact form it takes can be different. However, there are some consistent traits that keep appearing consistently.
High levels of absenteeism
When employees are stressed, they’re more likely to need time off to mentally rest, leading to more sick leave.
Frequent issues with burnout, chronic stress
When someone has to keep working, even when they’re mentally exhausted, they’re more likely to suffer from burnout.
Increased presenteeism
Presenteeism may seem like a positive thing compared to absenteeism, but it can be just as harmful. Presenteeism is where employees turn up to work, but aren’t fully functioning.
High employee turnover, with high churn rates
When push comes to shove, employees in a toxic workplace are more likely to quit, suddenly. High churn rates can lead to higher costs as you have to keep replacing people, who are also just as likely to quit suddenly.
Office gossip, and other negative communication styles
If people don’t feel psychologically safe, they’ll be less likely to communicate openly and more likely to rely on underhanded tactics. That can result in gossip, bullying and other issues.
Consequences of toxic work environments
Employees are 10.4 times more likely to leave an organization with a toxic culture. High employee turnover has a huge impact on an organization and can actually compound to create an even more toxic environment, as people have more work placed on them and deadlines get tighter. High turnover often makes it harder to hire new people, as it can hamper your employer brand.
Toxic work environments often allow bullying and discrimination to fester. If you don’t take steps to protect employees, you could also be liable for lawsuits.
One of the major issues with a toxic work environment is how hard it is to get rid of once it’s taken root. What changes can you make to ensure that your work environment is a healthy one?
How to fix a toxic work environment?
Perhaps you’ve noticed your organization has started to creep towards becoming a toxic work environment, or you want to get ahead of the game and stop toxic traits from taking root. How can you actually fix the problem?
Firstly, effective communication strategies are vital. This goes from the top down, so your management team also need to make sure they communicate directly, and in a way that ensures people feel psychologically safe.
Civility, and ensuring conversations are productive is key. Recognizing and rewarding employees for hard work and success will lead to great results.
Likewise, putting an emphasis on personal wellbeing, giving employees the resources they need to create plans that support them. Offering wellbeing tools, such as employee assistance programs and mental health first aiders can also ensure that a positive environment is kept in reach.
Final thoughts
Combatting toxicity is an ongoing challenge, and it’s all too easy to slip into bad habits. Keep checking in with your employees, keep making adjustments to their needs and keep communicating. From there you’ll see success, happier employees and higher productivity.
