Today’s workforce is not only balancing the COVID-19 pandemic and other enduring societal issues, but also toxic workplace culture that can have long-lasting effects on both the employee and the organizations they’re employed by. One in five workers have left their job because of a toxic workplace, costing employers $223 billion in turnover costs over the last five years, according to The Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM). During COVID-19, just 32% of employees report feeling satisfied with their current job, down from 57% pre-pandemic, according to a survey completed by Maltec Group on behalf of SHRM.
A toxic environment can be attributed to a single factor or a compilation of multiple factors, including isolation, poor workspace atmosphere, and unrealistic workload expectations. The collection of these factors can all stem from one common factor: substandard leadership. The result may lead to lowered morale and productivity, culminating in increased levels of employee disengagement and overall decline in mental and physical health. Employees tend to fall sick more often and experience employee burnout, a serious result of the physiological stress your body experiences after extended mental and physical symptoms of fatigue.
Deal with isolation.
Organizational leadership is essential in determining the pulse of an organization. Bias or favoritism from leadership to specific employees can undermine employee morale. Lack of accountability and avoiding conflict leaves room for issues to escalate and leads to mistrust among employees. Blatant bias or favoritism in a workplace that clearly results in inequities should be reported to the human resources department or the proper company representative. Though bias or favoritism may not always be intentional, it can create an environment where employees feel undervalued. This is even more essential for newer, more entry-level team members. They may be entering work environments where they don’t have the same social capital as more senior staff so it’s important that they’re able to have experiences where they feel they belong.
An improvement to leadership style by implementing regular communications that strive for ongoing contact with employees can help improve the sense of value they bring to the organization. Leadership can create team relationship opportunities and take active efforts to engage with their employees to break down silos and deter employee isolation. Praise and recognition should also always come from the top down regularly. The same thinking applies for developmental feedback. Find creative ways to show appreciation to employees whether in team meeting settings, platforms via Slack, or in company-wide actions like rewarding time off. As new employees, and non-managers, we can reciprocate opportunities for engagement and recognition with our colleagues from day one, by being open and communicative.
As employees continue to navigate work-from-home, isolation is one of the most common concerns amongst remote employees. Furthermore, lack of in-person communication can cause misinterpretation in tone and ambiguity. Employers should set internal communication guidelines and properly train employees to be aware of tone setting and proper utilization of communication platforms. A recent survey of 2,000 Americans working from home found that employees miss face-to-face meetings (39%), office celebrations (35%), and after-work events (34%).
A staggering four percent of new hires found the onboarding process efficient. Another survey by OnePoll on behalf of Volley found 63% felt less engaged with their team, as the average employee felt disconnected by August 2020. For those organizations that are capable, a hybrid work-from-home model may be the most effective way to balance social isolation needs. A focus on better communication as well as collaboration efforts can build camaraderie and minimize isolation. For new and entry-level employees this is especially true in the early days of starting a new job. Recognizing how other employees interact with new hires on their first day can set the tone for their communication style, and how they deal with intraoffice isolations. Employers could encourage voluntary, virtual non-work activities like coffee chats and lunches, and after-hour socializing or team building events that are beyond regular work-related interactions, especially for entry-level employees.
Recognize good and bad workplace atmospheres.
Among the worst leadership skills that set a poor workplace atmosphere, micromanagement and absence of leadership communication skills sit at the top. Strong communication is critical to effectively set goals, vision, and strategy. Lack thereof, creates misalignment and disconnection that deter from achieving the set goals. Clear, open communication avoids confusion, provides purpose, creates accountability, and fosters a transparent company culture. To help combat poor communication, set comprehensive goals that are accessible to all employees for full accountability. Regular check-ins with managers where employees and managers can set forth current and upcoming action items help avoid confusion by aligning on clear expectations. For those new to the workforce, this is paramount. They should feel encouraged to approach their managers and leadership on the same type of expectations they have as a subordinate. Unclear employee expectations creates opportunity for disengagement and diminishes creativity and motivation from their work.
Micromanagement tops the list according to a survey conducted by Trinity Solutions that discovered 79%of participants had experienced micromanagement, and 69% considered changing jobs because of it. In today’s virtual world, many employees are still working remotely, so having leadership that is hyper-aware of employees whereabouts and activity can result in employee frustration, stress, and hinder productivity. Mutual trust and open communication through effective workflow tools, instead of micromanagement can reinforce trust and autonomy. Various project management tools like Asana, Airtable, Google Tasks, and Basecamp are available to help monitor work progress and status updates.
Manage unrealistic workload expectations.
Employees are feeling overworked and overwhelmed due to labor shortages and unrealistic workload expectations. One way to offer support to employees is to prioritize the tasks and projects they are responsible for. Work with staff to arrange tasks by level of importance from priority to non-priority task items.
It is the responsibility of the employer to pay attention to their work-life balance as that can help reinforce the company culture of caring. Offering flexible leave policies to every remote worker to fulfill their personal needs can show appreciation in recognizing their sacrifices and hard work; this can further help in reinforcing their work-life balance and maintain mutual trust. Employers should promote employees utilizing snooze and schedule send features in a time when employees already feel always “on.” Doing so can allow employees to not have to check their work communications and feel the after-hours pressure to respond. This is even truer for new and entry-level employees who may feel the need to be ever-present and available, just to show that they are eager and willing to give 110%. Reminding teams that they can take space and utilize these tools that promote work-life balance can teach newer employees how to be efficient without being overworked.
Remember, communication is key!
When it comes to adjusting the culture of an organization, it’s critical for employers to create a space where employees can speak up. According to SHRM, one in four employees don’t feel confident in addressing their concerns at work. The wellbeing and happiness of employees are essential to maintaining a healthy work environment. In the best interest of employees and employers, employers must be able to recognize a toxic work environment and be willing to make changes.
Changes within the workplace can help tremendously shift the toxic culture and boost employee morale and productivity. Organizations should strive for more transparency to help offset any employee mistrust or miscommunication, but they should also know that a toxic workplace culture can’t be fixed overnight. Building a viable work culture takes extensive effort and constant hard work. Employers must take the time to actively listen and commit to creating trust and a sense of belonging to better serve their employees.