A poll this year shed some light on toxic work environments and what it showed is ugly. Two-thirds of American workers say they’ve faced a toxic work environment. A poll last year said 30 million American workers reported they were currently in a situation they’d characterize as a toxic work environment. That’s about one in every nine employees facing bad leadership, mismanagement, toxic social norms, and unclear job roles—just some of the problems that led to the Great Resignation.
You may see these numbers and wonder what your workforce thinks about your work environment. What toxic workplace habits could be causing your retention problem? We have answers.
Common Causes of a Toxic Workplace
A positive company culture is an essential part of attracting candidates. Culture can be influenced by various negative and positive factors. It’s essential to identify toxic workplace habits and address them promptly or run the risk of losing valuable members of your team. These habits are contagious and can spread quickly. If the habits are negative, they can lead to a decline in employee morale, productivity, and overall satisfaction.
What hurts your work culture?
- Gossiping is one of the most common toxic workplace habits. When employees engage in gossip, it creates negativity and erodes trust among team members. Gossip can lead to cliques and factions within the workplace that cause divisions among employees. Gossiping damages reputations, creates conflicts, destroys morale, and ultimately harms company culture.
- Micromanaging is another toxic workplace habit stemming from overzealous or undertrained managers. Micromanaging is about control, and it makes employees disempowered, disengaged, and feeling as if they can’t be trusted to do their job. Micromanagement stifles creativity and innovation, leading to a lack of ideas and fresh perspectives. Managers must trust employees and allow them to work autonomously to foster a more positive company culture.
- Discrimination in the workplace can be overt or subtle, but it is always toxic. Discrimination manifests in various forms, such as age, gender, race, and sexual orientation. When employees feel discriminated against, it leads to a hostile work environment, low morale, and high employee turnover. It can also lead to lawsuits or legal action that damages your reputation. These are all reasons to ensure you have policies and procedures in place to prevent discrimination in all its forms, while promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
- Toxic leadership can have a significant impact on company culture. When leaders are toxic, they may be manipulative, abusive, and controlling, leading to a culture of fear and mistrust. They may be poor communicators that leave employees feeling uninformed or undervalued. Toxic leaders create a toxic work environment where employees feel bad about coming to work and ultimately may leave. Companies must train and promote positive leadership traits, such as empathy, integrity, and transparency to create a healthy environment for their employees.
Contact Our Team Today!
Lingo Staffing is devoted to finding our clients the right employees to promote a positive work culture. Talk with our team today about your hiring goals. We’re here to help.
