5 Things That Lead to Toxicity at Work

Superior Resource Group

For years, employees have been complaining about toxic workplaces, where stress and lack of respect rise to the point where they almost become unbearable.

Those complaints had largely been dismissed for years, but now, company leaders are seeing that cutthroat competition and authoritarian rule are counterproductive. In fact, many company leaders are now trying to actively stop any hints of a toxic culture stop taking hold in their organization.

If your company is looking to empower its employees and build a culture of mutual respect, consider the following signs of toxicity in the workplace.

Employees aren’t comfortable with speaking their mind

Being surrounded by yes-men and yes-women is probably great for the ego, but it’s no way to run a company. Everyone in an organization should feel comfortable speaking their mind.

Successful people in the company have a similar look

We would like to think that the business world is a meritocracy: Those that get an education, work hard and do good work should get ahead. But sadly, personal biases often influence who gets ahead and who doesn’t. If left unchecked, this can lead to the top of a company being dominated by a single gender, race or economic background.

If you want to avoid a toxic culture, you want every single promotion to be based on merit, not bias.

Risk-taking isn’t rewarded

Many companies talk about wanting their employees to take risks, but what if it doesn’t work out? If the company punishes the risk-taker, it will have a negative effect on the entire workforce and severely impede creativity.

Employers need to set clear boundaries and expectations for risk-taking. They should also celebrate and reward when a risk pays off.

Meetings regularly turn into an airing of grievances

Team or company meetings are a necessary part of doing business and they must serve a function. When meetings regularly devolve into employees listing complaint after complaint, they lose their effectiveness.

Company leaders need to make sure employees’ complaints are heard while also ensuring that meetings achieve their goals by moving the discussion along. Letting different employees run each meeting can also help with meeting buy-in.

Hard work isn’t recognized

Leaders need to acknowledge hard work with praise and rewards, even if it means regularly recognizing the entire team, rather than singling out an individual. However, if one individual is continually going above and beyond, public recognition and a private “thank you” goes a long way.

At Superior Resource Group, we help company leaders achieve their goals through top-notch service and talent solutions. Please contact us today to find out how we can help your company.

 

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