Toxic workplace cultures have been experienced by 75% of UK employees a recent study has found. That’s a disappointingly high number of people who have struggled at work. So how do we change it?
In this blog, we’ll explore how to identify the warning signs of a toxic workplace, provide actionable strategies to address issues, and offer insights on how to cultivate a healthy, thriving work environment.
What Does a Toxic Workplace Look Like?
A toxic workplace is full of damaging behaviours, attitudes and practices that harm the well-being of employees and create an overall negative culture. This can lead to stress, burnout, high turnover of staff, absenteeism and low productivity, and may allow bullying and harassment to thrive. Employees working in this atmosphere will feel unsupported, undervalued and demoralised.
Everyone has a right to work in a safe and healthy environment!
A toxic workplace may suffer from:
- Cliques and favouritism
- Poor communication
- Micromanagement
- Unclear roles and expectations
- Unaddressed conflict
- ‘Everyone for themselves’ mindset
- A focus only on profit
- Excessive workloads / understaffing
- Discrimination
- Inequality
- Lack of support
- Long, unsocial or inflexible hours
- Under- or over-promotion
- No job security
- Gossiping
- Bullying or harassment
World Mental Health Day
10th October is World Mental Health Day. There is a vital connection between mental health and work. People spend a lot of the week, their waking hours, at work – if it’s an unhappy place to be, that can impact all aspects of someone’s life, and a negative working environment can pose a real risk to a person’s mental health. It’s essential as employers and managers that we take steps to ensure we are supporting our team’s mental health by providing them with a safe, supportive workplace. Employers should be treating mental and physical health as equally important.
What are the Effects of a Toxic Workplace?
For employees:
- Lack of trust
- Fear of blame
- Negative behaviour affecting private life
- Burnout
- Decline in mental health
- Physical health issues
- Loss of engagement and creativity
For the business:
- Reduced productivity
- Damage to reputation
- Legal risks
- Financial losses
- Reduced customer satisfaction
- High turnover of people
- Reduced innovation and growth
How to Improve a Toxic Workplace Environment
It’s generally an accumulation of negative behaviours which lead to a workplace becoming toxic. That’s why addressing it can be tricky … it can creep up unnoticed or take time to ferment and ‘go bad’. Below are our key areas for focus, hopefully to start making real change, and ultimately create a positive culture.
Remember, if things have been wrong for a while, it will take time and effort to rebuild trust from your team.
Lead by example
These behaviours and practices wouldn’t be happening if there wasn’t an organisational culture which enabled it. Who dictates that culture?
It starts from the top!
The most essential thing that a management team can do to improve a toxic environment is reflect on the current situation and be the first ones taking active steps to change it. Managers must practise what they preach!
It’s the responsibility of your senior team to spot the signs, prevent and rectify. The quicker you deal with something, the less of an impact it will have. If ignored, small problems snowball into big issues that can have far-reaching consequences.
Communication
Creating an environment of honesty and transparency is essential. This means asking for feedback and acting upon it. One way to start this process could be through anonymous surveys. Staff who don’t feel respected may be unlikely to offer feedback willingly or openly.
Communication also means creating safe channels for reporting incidents. This may include dealing with reports of bullying and harassment, for which training is essential. We’ve got a whole blog all on how to address workplace bullying and harassment – it’s a great starting point for advice on how to deal with reports of situations caused by a toxic environment.
Bullying and Harassment
Gossiping at work is not ok and can often develop into bullying and harassment. “It’s only banter” and “It was just a joke” excuses are rarely acceptable.
Bullyingisn’t illegal, but it is of course unacceptable. Even if someone isn’t aware that their behaviour is bullying, if it meets the criteria, it is.
Harassmentis, in some circumstances, a hate crime. Harassment is unlawful under Equality Act 2010 when it relates to protected characteristics.
Sexual Harassment
From October 26th 2024, employers will have a new duty to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment for employees under the Worker Protection (Amendment of the Equality Act 2010) Bill. This article from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development breaks down what the bill means for businesses and has some great advice on how employers can be proactive in how they prevent and tackle sexual harassment at work. Remember, sexual harassment may amount to both an employment rights matter and a criminal matter, such as in sexual assault allegations and that both the perpetrator and employer can be held responsible.
Performance Management
A structured performance management system will go a long way to creating a positive company culture because it helps to encourage and motivate your team. Good performance management includes:
- Rewarding positive behaviour
- Setting clear expectations
- Encouraging personal responsibility for decision-making
- Giving feedback
- Performance reviews
- Setting clear goals
Culture of Respect
Addressing a toxic workplace means changing the culture into one of respect and inclusivity. It’s essential to empower staff to maintain that culture and call out unacceptable behaviour. Everyone should be able to work in an environment where it’s ok to own up to making a mistake without fear.
Building a strong company culture takes time and effort, but it will be well worth it!
Benefits of a Positive Environment
- Increases productivity
- Allows business agility
- Drives business purpose
- Lowers stress levels
- Improves employee retention
- Creates better customer service
- Enables better teamwork
- Attracts top talent
Conclusion
A toxic workplace can have devastating effects on both employees and the business, but the good news is that it’s never too late to make positive changes.
By addressing harmful behaviours, fostering open communication and leading by example, organisations can begin to transform a toxic culture into one of respect, inclusivity and support.
A healthy workplace isn’t just an option: it’s a necessity for long-term success.
For support in taking the first steps towards a thriving workplace, contact us on 01252 757359 or drop us an email at [email protected].