According to data, a toxic organizational culture is the biggest contributor to attrition. To determine if you have a toxic culture (although if you do, you probably know it), look for the following signs:
- Trust is limited or nonexistent.
- Workplace morale is low
- Employees have a constant feel of failure and are hesitant to admit mistakes or talk about processes that aren’t working or could be improved.
- Bullying and gossip are tolerated and/or ignored.
- Absenteeism rates and turnover are high (don’t assume these are just ‘normal’ or related to the pandemic).
- There is little joy or enthusiasm in the workplace.
- There is confusion, and miscommunications and/or misunderstandings are common.
If you see any of these signs, don’t ignore or dismiss them. Work on fixing your culture:
- Take responsibility and consider how leadership is contributing to or causing negativity.
- Communicate and observe. Do walk-arounds and talk to workers. Make it clear (and make sure your actions back up your words) that honest insights and feedback are welcome, appreciated, and respected.
- Address bad behavior in the workplace. Your words and actions need to show that bullying, gossip, disrespect, fear-mongering, and other bad behaviors won’t be tolerated.
- Get everyone on board. Seek everyone’s insights about what would make them feel safe, comfortable, respected, and happy at work.
- Walk the walk. Follow up with actions. Kind words and active listening aren’t enough. Put new policies in place, change how things are done, and report on progress. Celebrate milestones and positive change.
Fixing a toxic culture isn’t one and done. You need to keep a close eye on changes that are implemented and make sure that people don’t slip back into old (bad) habits.
