Toxic workplaces aren’t just an amalgam of toxic individuals coming together to display abysmal behavior and pull each other down. A toxic workplace is usually an indication of a culture that has gone haywire and where harmful norms have slowly made their way into the organization. A toxic work culture is one where toxic practices and egregious behavior is justified through the common phrase of ‘this is just how things are done around here’.
The reasons that make a work culture toxic aren’t the same for every industry. There are a number of factors that come into play to influence a culture based on toxic energy and negativity. However, our topic of concern today is focused on the steps that can be taken to improve a toxic work culture and start progress toward improvement.
Your toxic work culture will take time to improve – Rome obviously wasn’t built in a day. In this article we look at a few steps which, when complimented with patience, can significantly improve your work culture.
Give Autonomy to Workers
We’re astounded at the amount of workplaces that operate on a command and control model. The model requires figureheads and leaders to push work down in the organization and then actively monitor the progress made by employees working on difficult projects. The micromanagement and the lack of feedback from employees is bound to create a culture of disharmony and toxicity.
The best way to stop this is by granting greater autonomy to people you’ve hired in your organization. They were obviously hired for a reason; you just need to trust them.
Work with Underperformers
There isn’t anything more ridiculous in a workplace than underperformers slacking off without a prompt notice. Your high performers will definitely see the negligence toward underperformers working without retribution and will re-evaluate the effort they put in. Keep an eye on underperformers and let them know where they fall short. Everyone should be held accountable for their performance and action.
Have a Clear Progression Criteria
Organizations where promotions, appraisals and raises are handed out in a biased manner without any consistency are bound to foster a toxic culture. If you want employees to feel motivated, you need to create an equal opportunity workplace with clear promotion criteria for every employee. The presence of a clear setup that is consistent for every individual will produce greater efforts from employees. It will also kill the pervasive perception of unfairness.
We at JS Benefits Group have worked with numerous clients to work on improving their work culture and removing toxic aspects from within. You can get in touch with JS Benefits Group immediately to discuss and devise a plan.
