Could your workplace culture be toxic at least in the eyes of some employees without you even knowing it? Perhaps not, but it's best not to leave that to chance. A toxic workplace damages people, productivity and your future ability to attract good employees. Here's what you need to know.

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Phone: 281.880.6525
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Is Your Workplace Toxic?

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It's easy to get so caught up in leading your organization that you lose sight of
what's going on two or three layers down the organizational chart. There
could be a lot of frustration and dysfunction at that level, yet the only reports
you hear from your managers are upbeat.
You might have an eye-opening experience if you check out reviews by
current or former employees on employment websites such as
Glassdoor.com. Here's an actual description posted on that site:
"Senior management lacks communication skills and needs training on leadership.
Hostile work environment."
Imagine for a moment if that post was about your company. There's always
the chance that a disgruntled former employee might seek revenge for
termination by trashing your company online. But if multiple negative reports
start appearing, you could really have a problem. At minimum, this may
prevent people from applying for work at your organization.

3. Defining Toxicity
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What is a toxic workplace? It's a workplace where productivity is hindered by
significant infighting, over-the-top drama and other personal battles among
employees.
What makes a workplace toxic? The simple answer is that employees who are
focused on personal gain use tactics that are questionable — perhaps mean-
spirited, unethical and even illegal. In the process they annoy and manipulate
coworkers and pollute the environment.

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And how do employees become toxic? Often it's factors way beyond your
control, such as unresolved personal issues. Although you can't play
psychotherapist or read their minds, you can learn to recognize the signs of a
toxic workplace — and detox it quickly. Here are some signs to look for:
Company social events are sparsely attended. This suggests a lack of
friendships among employees.
There's a pervasive boss-is-always-right syndrome in the workplace. If
employees in staff meetings never voice an opinion contrary to that of the
most senior person in the room, they probably fear negative repercussions.
Such intimidation not only demoralizes employees, but also restricts the
organization to monolithic thinking.

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The sick day count is high. High stress (possibly from the work environment)
can cause both emotional and physical ailments. Of course, physical illnesses
aren't always caused by stress so, if this is a problem at your company, you
may want to investigate issues such as air quality and sanitation.
Grumpiness is running rampant. Observe the demeanor of your employees.
Do they look happy and energized? Or the opposite? Some people can mask
unhappiness, but few will try if they see others as the cause of their anxiety or
discouragement.
Many discussions are taken "offline." Not every issue can be discussed
openly. But when managers in staff meetings frequently state a topic must be
addressed in private by a smaller group, this could indicate an excessive level
of secrecy and distrust.

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Mistakes get swept under the rug. If a manager or the organization has taken
a hit because of a bad decision or strategy, openness and humility may be the
best policies. When managers deny or try to obscure obvious problems,
employees feel as though they're being treated like children.
Turnover is high. Sometimes high turnover happens in non-toxic work
environments. Your competitors may simply be stealing your better
employees. But an unhealthy work environment could also be the culprit and
the result is the same — your workforce is diminished and hiring costs rise.

7. Fixing the Problem
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Removing the toxicity from a work environment can't be accomplished
overnight. The process begins by being brutally honest and trying to uncover
how a toxic environment was allowed to develop in the first place. Ask
yourself questions such as:
• Have you neglected to establish and enforce policies that would've nipped
the toxicity in the bud?
A rigorous performance review system must be in place to prevent toxic
environments from developing. If a department appears to be experiencing
problems possibly attributable to poor personnel management, the
department head should be scrutinized. Take a look at the manager's reviews
of his or her own direct reports to see whether there's evidence of
substandard supervision practices.
• Have you placed a high priority on hiring managers with a verifiable track
record of managing employees successfully?

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A common pattern that leads to trouble is promoting good workers to
management positions without assessing whether they have the relevant
skills and training to be managers. The world's best computer programmer
won't necessarily be a good supervisor — especially if no management
training is provided. That doesn't mean that person will develop a toxic
personality, but dysfunction resulting from poor leadership can have the same
effect.
Before promoting an existing employee into a management role, find out
whether that person is even interested in such a move. Someone who didn't
have that career path in mind might feel flattered and obligated to take the
promotion (and raise in pay), yet know it's the wrong move. If the new
manager expresses regret and it's not too disruptive, the best answer might
be to permit a return to his or her former position. Alternatively, provide the
person with more training and mentoring and, chances are, he or she will rise
to the occasion.

9. Don't Leave Issues Unresolved
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If your suspicions are aroused but an analysis
hasn't revealed a smoking gun, you may
need to go outside your company. Worker
surveys conducted by employee polling
vendors might be the answer. These surveys
are generally confidential, which could be
the key to uncovering the real problems you
need to address. Finding and fixing those
hidden issues could allow for a new
beginning and a positive, energized
workplace.
An organization can't thrive when many
employees feel put-upon, so, like it or not, if
you have a toxic work environment, you
need to tackle it before it gets worse. It's a
challenging problem, but one that's generally
solvable.

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