How Can You Recognize And Deal With Toxic Work Culture?

A major contributor to employees leaving their workplaces is a toxic work culture. Employees who want to find a better balance between their professional and personal lives may cite toxic workplace culture as a reason behind their resignation. But what exactly is toxic workplace culture?

A toxic workplace is one that the employee perceives as stressful and demotivating for them. Other employees and managers could be engaged in unethical practices and the competition could be cutthroat. Employees may perceive that they are being talked to in a disrespectful way, or they may find their workplace noninclusive.

If you want to improve the employee retention rate of your business, then ensure that the work culture you've created isn't toxic. A toxic workplace can leave employees feeling stressed and burnt out. Some employees may also start doing just the bare minimum, and will stop being productive.

What Kind Of A Workplace Is Toxic?

If you're wondering what is a toxic work culture, then the answer is that it's generally an environment the employee isn't happy and productive in. Toxic cultures in the workplace can contribute to employees quitting more frequently.

In a toxic workplace, employees are made to feel rejected, humiliated, defensive and guilty. Negative behaviors, either from management or from colleagues, can leave employees feeling unhappy about working there. Behaviors such as bullying, shouting, belittling and being manipulative are all considered toxic.

An employee that finds themselves in a toxic work environment might find it difficult to express their experiences for fear of being reprimanded. In a toxic workplace, behaviors such as being racist, outright lying and making promises that can't be kept, can also be seen.

What Are The Signs Of Toxic Work Culture?

The best way for you to recognize whether the work environment at your office is toxic or not, is to know what the signs of toxic workplace culture are. Before you can focus on how to change toxic work culture, let's first look at the signs. The signs of toxic workplace culture  include:

1. Employees Fear Making Mistakes 

An easy way of identifying toxic workplace culture is to look at how employees feel about making mistakes. If they feel paralyzed or threatened at the thought of making mistakes, then this kind of work culture is toxic. Employees shouldn't have to worry about being blamed or punished for every mistake they make. This can prevent people from leaving their comfort zones, which can in turn affect their productivity.

2. Fear Of Trust 

If the employees at your workplace are afraid of trusting each other, then that work environment is toxic. Management may not have any trust in the employees and may monitor them more than necessary. Employees that are micromanaged tend to perform worse.

3. Feeling Stressed 

There could be several factors that contribute to how stressed an employee feels. They could be burnt out, they may not be able to communicate effectively with others, or they may be getting into disagreements. If they are worried about failing and have uncertainty regarding their job expectations, then this may leave them feeling stressed as well. An employee who is stressed will start seeing physical symptoms as well, and can fall sick and be less productive.

4. Work Boundaries That Are Unhealthy

In a toxic work environment, there might be no boundaries between work and life. Employees are asked to prioritize their work, which can lead to employees burning out.

Management could expect employees to stay behind late, respond to their emails even after work hours, work on weekends, and more.

5. No Career Support 

Employees look forward to opportunities that allows them to grow in their careers. A lack of such opportunities can lead to feelings of dejection. Such employees lack a true connection to their workplace and could start looking for other career opportunities as well.

Since they usually don't have a mentor, they lack the guidance on what they should do next in their career. Employees that work remotely might have an even harder time connecting with their workplace.

Behaviors such as gossiping at work, gaslighting and manipulating and promoting a low workplace morale all serve to make workplaces more toxic. Companies with toxic work culture should look at these toxic work culture signs and work on creating a healthier work culture.

How To Change Toxic Work Culture

Key to changing toxic work culture is recognizing that it's there and resolving to address the issues. Here is what you can do to change toxic workplace cultures:

• Recognize The Problem: Understand that toxic behaviors may be present in all levels of the workplace - from management to employees.
• Get A Third Party: Bring in a coach, a speaker or a facilitator to identify what is making the workplace toxic. They can then offer guidance on how to overcome the issue.
• Hold People Accountable: When employees feel like their toxic behaviors will lead to accountability, they are more likely to avoid those behaviors. It sets proper incentives for employees to promote workplace harmony.
• Building Safe Environments: Make internal reporting more positive for the person making the reports. They shouldn't be afraid to get in touch with you over the company hotline, to report toxic behaviors in the workplace.

A toxic work environment can be changed is employees feel that the company culture doesn't promote toxic behaviors at work. 

How To Deal With Toxic Work Culture?

Companies with toxic work culture can experience high employee turnover rates, reduced rates of productivity, and a general negative environment at work. Toxic cultures in the workplace can be addressed by bringing to the attention of management the toxic behaviors involved. If the management is involved in toxic behaviors as well, then get in touch with the company head.

As an employee wondering how to deal with toxic work culture, you should report to HR and make them aware of what you're going through. If you own the business, then make it easier for employees to report toxic behaviors at work. Addressing toxic workplace issues involves creating company policies that promote positive behaviors at work.

Conclusion

Creating a healthier work culture helps not just employees but all business stakeholders as well. Employees work more productively and the chances of them leaving the business reduces as well. To deal with toxic work culture, you'll find need to recognize the signs. Use this guide to recognise the signs and understand what you can do to deal with a toxic work environment.

Speakers from SpeakerAgency can help you learn more on what toxic workplace cultures are, as well as what you can do about them. From trainers and consultants to motivational and celebrity speakers, find the perfect speaker to motivate your employees at Speaker Agency.a