Toxic work culture

 What is a toxic work culture?

Every now and then, employees will experience bad days. There will be challenging situations at work. These aren’t necessarily signs of a toxic work culture. In fact, positive conflict can be a springboard for growth and innovation. When a workplace is truly toxic, dysfunction is the organizational norm and mean-spirited behaviour occurs daily.

The biggest problem for many working people is that the actual work on their desks is the easiest part of the job. Nothing they are responsible for doing at work is especially challenging. It's only hard to do the job because of the politics, the stupid rules and the dark, fearful energy that flows throughout the workplace and bogs everyone down. A broken culture makes everything else harder, from organizing projects to getting critical approvals to move your work forward.

There's no reason for your work to be so hard. Your company's toxic culture is to blame. It is sludge in your engine that slows down the gears and eventually corrodes them. The job itself would be a snap if the culture were healthy, but it's not. Too many smart and capable people end up leaving their jobs not because of the work itself or the compensation plan, but because they were tired of pushing a rock uphill every working day.

 

What causes a toxic work environment?

People often ask- who is responsible for workplace toxicity? Who should be held accountable? Do we blame high turnovers disrupting team functioning?

 Individuals at your workplace at any level can create a toxic work environment. Be it managers, colleagues, or low-level employees. Office rumors spread rapidly, and consistent peer pressure can make your workers feel wrong about their performance.

Lack of recognition, favoritism, unhealthy communication, gossiping, and high turnover are a few reasons that cause a burnout work culture. Toxicity at the workplace also includes bad leadership, poor management skills, loosened code of conduct, and lack of communication.

 

Why does it need to be addressed?

Toxic workplaces are assumed to be the outcome of poisonous managers lacking credibility and poor leadership skills. A toxic employee affects everyone around, and when they spread negativity at work, other employees tend to take frequent sick leaves, lack productivity, and remain stressed. These people's purpose is to retain power, money, or special status or to distract attention from their failures and misdeeds in their work performance.

If an organization has not diligently communicated values, it is likely to be a toxic workplace. Poor policies or unadhered code of conduct create a sense of rampant resentment. Lack of communication from managers with poor leadership skills creates mistrust. We believe a toxic workplace culture is a result of bad leadership. One can also look at glass door reviews, and if you find negative comments, it is a sign of toxicity.

A hostile workplace faces such issues daily without a pause. It can create trouble, conflict, low morality, excessive tension, negative results, illness, high turnover, and even abusive behavior amidst employees. A toxic workplace defines the conflict, where personal problems also affect productivity.

What are the signs of a toxic culture?

·         The first sign of a toxic culture is a feeling you will pick up when you spend time in a workplace where people don't communicate, don't smile, don't joke and don't reinforce one another. You will notice that interactions are more formal than friendly and that no one seems happy to be working there.

·         The second sign of a toxic workplace is that people are very concerned about titles, job descriptions and levels in the hierarchy. When you meet someone new in the organization, they'll be quick to tell you their title and status. Status, visibility and "perks" are more important than success measured by other yardsticks.

·         The third sign of a toxic culture is that rules and policies are very important. It's more important than the good judgment of your teammates, their combined decades of experience or the rich context of the situation you're dealing with.

·         The fourth sign of a toxic culture is that while it's well known that employees are unhappy, nobody talks about it openly.

·         The fifth sign of a toxic culture is that employees have little to no latitude in performing their jobs. Every procedure is spelled out for them. If they are rewarded at all, they are rewarded for hitting their goals and following the rules, but never for having breakout ideas or pushing for much-needed changes -- activities that could get them fired.

·         The sixth sign of a toxic culture is that fear is palpable in the environment. Doors slam and whispered conversations take place in stairwells. Everybody is concerned with his or her own spot on the company's constantly-shifting, internal stock index. They ask one another "Does the big boss like me? What did he say about me?" and fret and worry about who's up and who's down.

How to tackle such toxic culture?

1.Find people who feel the same way you do. Develop friendships with people who feel the same way as you. The hope is that you'll watch each other's back and will share any news with the group.

2.Do something after work that can help relieve stress. Go to the gym, do home repairs, or learn a new skill. The key is to make sure you're living a fulfilling life outside of work to combat the drama of your 9 to 5.

3.Create lists to keep yourself busy. A list can help you stay focused on your tasks instead of the toxic atmosphere and gives you a reason to keep going every day.

4. Document everything you do. Save emails and write down comments and decisions from meetings, phone calls, and every person who interacts with you. If you need to file a complaint, you will need the evidence to back your claim.

5.Start your exit strategy. It is possible that things could improve at your job, in which case it might make sense to stay. However, while waiting it out, begin your search for a new job. This will help you stay positive when things get rough. If you needed to leave yesterday, consider a bridge job that will keep you active while you find something in line with your career.

Knowing the signs of a toxic workplace and how to handle it will allow you to take your next step on your terms and in your time — so your next job will be a place you truly enjoy working.