We all would like to think that we are great at making our employees feel needed, motivated, and valued. However, we take both the good and the bad, and at some companies the company culture is sub-par—even downright toxic. A toxic work culture can have negative effects on both your company’s productivity and employee health and it is not always easy for management to identify. Luckily, once you spot the problem, it can be quickly corrected.
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Consequences of a Toxic Company Culture
Consequences of a Toxic Company CultureA toxic workspace is not only bad for your company’s reputation. It can devastate the health and morale of employees. Studies have shown that employees who are exposed to a toxic work culture suffer from health problems like:
- Stress
- Weight gain
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Insomnia
- High blood pressure
In addition to health problems, employees may normalize their company’s culture. As a result, people may develop bad work habits like hiding poor work in order to avoid conflict. In doing so, their performance lowers, which could lead to higher turnover.
Is Your Work Culture Toxic?
According to Entrepreneur, a toxic company culture typically exemplifies these major characteristics:
- Lack of Communication: When everyone from management to employees to vendors don’t communicate or they purposefully withhold or give misleading information, it makes it impossible to work together in a healthy, constructive way.
- Inconsistent Policies: With no policy in place, the company suffers from a poor reputation and is difficult to work with. Common culprits may include frequently changing answers to common questions, old policies that can’t be backed up except with “This is what we have always done,” or no one knowing the company’s protocol procedure. The worst situation is when no one has bothered to set a policy to begin with.
- Narcissistic Leaders: Often, toxic workplaces stem from those at the top of the corporate ladder. Narcissistic leaders tend to be condescending to employees and clients, are manipulative, or are not concerned with anything that is not directly related to them or their tasks at hand.
If your company’s work culture exhibits these three signs, it’s time to stop and set aside a time to correct these issues.
Fixing a Toxic Company Culture
Thankfully, there are ways to reverse a toxic workplace. It will take time, dedication, and a lot of soul searching. While it helps when the head of the company gets involved, anyone can help make the environment healthier. It takes equal parts of employees speaking up and leadership listening to their concerns and establishing channels of communication, procedure, and priority to turn a toxic work culture into a healthy one.
Step 1: Start a Conversation
If there is a problem and no one talks about it, it can’t be fixed. Recognize that the environment is toxic and discuss it with employees. Make it clear that employees shouldn’t be afraid to voice concerns. This advice is often ignored because employees are afraid that speaking up will get them in trouble.
Step 2: Take Action
If you’re all talk and no action, employees will quickly realize that their voice doesn’t mean anything. Therefore, once you’ve brainstormed solutions with your team, implement them.
For example, introduce a corporate wellness program, and if you can afford it, a chief wellness officer. In doing so, you are actively taking part in the health and wellbeing of your employees and giving them a way to voice concerns and de-stress. Just remember not to force participation. In making it voluntary, employees won’t resent the program and don’t have to worry about their privacy.
Step 3: Repeat
Make sure that your implemented solutions are making a difference in your employees lives by following up with them. Keeping the conversation going will ensure that your company doesn’t slip back into a toxic work culture.
Up Next: Introduce Corporate Wellness into Your Company Culture
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