When it comes to toxic work culture, what are we really talking about?
In short, it is a work environment where workers do not feel valued, secure, or with the possibility of improving professionally. It is also where the office is in an environment full of discussions, with communication problems between workers and also when there is a high employee turnover.
If by chance you think that this would not bring any direct repercussions to the operation of the company, I can tell you that you could not be more wrong.
3 Signs of Toxic Culture
Attitude of workers
Every time you arrive at a place full of people smiling and in harmony, unconsciously your state of mind is infected with those feelings. When it comes to an office, this environment contributes to the productivity of workers, because it is easy for everyone to work in a pleasant environment.
Unfortunately, the same happens when we are in a place with negative vibes. In a toxic environment that leads to dissatisfaction and unhappiness in workers. These feelings are also contagious and in the end, affect the efficiency of the office operation.
Communication problems
When information does not move through the correct channels it is synonymous with problems. Employees must feel confident to express their opinions and ask their questions in order to communicate directly with managers. If the information flow is not correct, the fulfillment of the tasks may be affected due to the repetition of work and therefore loss of time.
High employee turnover
High employee turnover rates are one of the most common representations of a toxic work environment. It is difficult to create a sense of belonging or commitment in a job in which you feel frustrated and stressed. It is logical that there is always someone who wants to look for better job opportunities, but this turns out to be a problem when it becomes a recurring situation.
5 Steps to Create a Healthy Work Culture
For some years now, the human factor has begun to make the difference between the success and failure of companies. Thus, creating and maintaining a healthy organizational culture is of vital importance to guarantee the growth of the organization.
1.Honesty and debate
Once the customs that led to a toxic organizational environment are ingrained, backtracking is difficult but never impossible. The first thing is that you must realize that messages on posters will not change the behavior of your workers, much less will make them happier. If you want the world to change, you have to change yourself, this means that the actions must come from the highest levels, giving examples to follow, of honesty and trust.
2. Increase employee engagement
Getting employees to be psychologically and emotionally connected to the company is vital to consolidate positive relationships between managers and workers. For this, you must establish achievable goals. Employees must know and understand the objectives that they must meet as part of the company in order to feel the motivation of commitment.
3. Employee retention
Employee turnover is an aspect that has always been a concern for employers and therefore demands attention. To face this reality, you could establish policies of regular and fair salary increases, in addition to providing opportunities for promotion that make them feel that there is the possibility of professional improvement.
4. Storytelling
Telling stories is practically part of the DNA of humans, for centuries we have chosen stories to tell positive and negative events. In this case, you should take advantage of this ability and focus it on telling the stories about the behaviors you want to promote in your company.
5. Role models
Everyone likes to be recognized when they do a very good job. Therefore, the rewards, promotions, and recognition must be to reward healthy and productive behaviors in the company, so that each time toxic habits are left behind.
It is true that the responsibility for establishing and managing the culture of the company rests with the management. However, employees must have active participation in the process, providing their comments and recommendations. In the end, between all of them, a healthy organizational culture is consolidated.
If you need any advice to improve the organizational culture of your company, or you are interested in learning more about this topic, feel free to contact us.
