Toxic Workplace and How to Repair it.

Toxic relationships in the workplace can be very tough to navigate. There are a minefield of traps and tricks to go around. One issue are the feelings of loneliness due to isolation and rejection. The others are poor communication from management and from front line workers as well. This can lead to possible feelings of resentment and burnout. Burnout is charterised as “a form of exhaustion caused by constantly feeling swamped. It is a result of excessive and prolonged emotional, physical and mental stress. In many cases, burnout is related to ones job.” (Brennan, 2020)

Poor communication is a major cause of toxicity in the workplace. This happens in many ways. The manager improperly disseminates information to the workers. Also, lack of clarity in the information can cause confusion and anger amongst workers. The way to reconcile this is to clearly and effectively disseminate information so that It is easy to understand (Career Conentra, 2021).  Constant communication off work hours can also add to anger and feelings of stress. When an employee is constantly being contacted at home by his or her supervisor can cause the worker to become overwhelmed and skew the line between work and home.

Cliques are another cause for a toxic work place.  Although there is nothing wrong in finding a small group of people with which you get along; it can become an issue when this comes at the exclusion of others. This most frequently isn’t intentional; however, the feelings of the other who are left out are none the less real. It can lead to feelings of rejection and isolation. People who engage in clique behavior often engage in gossip about other workers. When supervisors play favorites with employees is another way the clique phenomenon can present itself.  Highly favoured projects can be awarded to employees regardless of expertise.

Another cause for toxicity in the workplace is an environment that does not allow for failure. Failure of course should never be a goal for completing projects or launching a business to the next level.  When a workplace for example, embarrasses or publicly shame workers for honest mistakes can lead the team to feel pressure to succeed. The employees may fear stepping out of line for fear of failure. This fear can be internally motivated as well even though the company does not necessarily punish failure. When organizations and divisions punish failure it can lead to stress and high turnover. High turnover is a very high indicator of the organization is headed for failure due to a toxic workplace. The main reason for people leaving a toxic work environment is burnout. When supervisor play favorites some of the workers who are not in the “in group” can be responsible for most if not all of the difficult work that is not done by the others. Burnout can ensue.

They are many ways we can resolve a toxic workplace. First and foremost the best way to fix workplace toxicity or any other issue is to be honest about it and take responsibility. The leadership of the company or organization is going to have to be deliberate in their actions. It is common to unwittingly contribute to a toxic work environment. This can be done by shrugging off what seems like petty office squabbles and turning a blind eye to bad office conduct. People pleasing can be a cause of a toxic workplace. Wanting to keep the peace at all costs is never a good way to go.

Another way to fix workplace toxicity, is to create a safe place to discuss what might be disturbing the employees. It is important to listen to everyone’s concerns of what might be contributing to workplace disorder. Try not to belittle the employees concerns or they might feel betrayed. The next step is to get all the employees on board with the changes. Make the changes clear and easy to understand. Get the employees involved in the decision making process so that they would have some buy in. Words are not enough to make changes. The senior leadership must take the lead in implementing the needed changes in the office. If no changes are seen by the employees, they will lose faith and the toxic workplace may not only continue, but get worse (Kutler, 2019). 

Changing workplace culture to end bullying at the workplace or to improve workplace morale is not easy task. It takes to cooperation of everyone involved to take pride in the work place and to take the needed steps to make their work place a better place to work.

References

Heidi Kutler, 4 Ways to Repair a Toxic Culture From the Top Down. Forbes Magazine 12/23/2019

Career Consanta 10 signs you area in a toxic workplace. www.careerconsanta.com

Dr. Sasha Shokrian How to Recognize and Recover From Burnout