Is Your Workplace Toxic?

Today, I have a question for you.

Is your workplace toxic? Are you creating a toxic work environment?

How would you know?

The profitability and success of a business are very reliant on people. I must admit, people are my favourite part of the business.  Maybe it’s because people are the one variable within a business that is ever-changing.  A little out of our control.  I like the challenge working with people brings but I know that many managers and leaders don’t always see things the same.

The great resignation has been a phrase that’s popped up across newspaper headlines and social media streams during the latter half of 2021 and continues to be discussed.

According to research statistics, Americans quit their jobs in record numbers during the second half of 2021 (3.9 million) and in the UK almost one in four employees were seriously contemplating leaving or changing jobs if they hadn’t already done so.

The large numbers of people quitting or changing jobs have been brought on by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. So many of us know or have directly experienced the loss of a loved one or friend due to Covid.

No matter who we are when such life-impacting change happens, it’s bound to hit us all differently.  The Covid-19 pandemic has allowed workers to rethink their careers, work conditions, and long-term goals. During the lockdowns of the pandemic, businesses that once refused to allow their workers flexible working hours or failed to consider that much of their work could be done by people working from their homes were forced to reconsider these options if their businesses were to succeed during these challenging times.

Now, as many businesses attempt to bring their employees back into the workplace as it was in the past, some workers want to remain working from home. They want to maintain the freedom and flexibility they’ve gained over the eighteen or so months of lockdown.

Business leaders will need to face the facts that the workplace has become a different and more expanded environment.

And the flexibility this has offered has meant an improvement in the quality of life many workers have seen and experienced.

For many, they have realised, such things as:

• There is more to life than work, and different options exist for them.
• They can, if managed differently and well, have their cake and eat it too.
• They can find work that they enjoy as well as having more time either to spend with their families or take up hobbies and other activities that bring them greater satisfaction in their lives.

Some people have, as a result of being made redundant (them or their partner), have had their hours reduced or other reasons, realised that they can survive on a smaller income and still have a higher quality of life i.e., better wellbeing.

That saying ‘life is too short’ has become an almost visible reality to many people.  The pandemic has brought about a level of change in the minds of so many people that I believe will continue to impact the business world for years to come.

So, let’s get back to my original question.  Is your workplace toxic?

In this new age of rethinking the workplace, toxicity is huge.  On the one hand, you have managers feeling the pressure to get business back to what they deem to be high efficiency and on the other hand, workers are less prepared to put up with or to accept conditions they are unhappy with.

What makes a toxic work environment?  This could be a long list but let’s just look at some of the main issues that might make an employee want to leave your workplace.

People are leaving because of burnout, damaged or eroded confidence and self-esteem, poor communication, unfair and unequal treatment, bad behaviour of colleagues or managers, being excluded, diminished sense of wellbeing, and many other reasons. In truth, reasons will vary from person to person.  Here are some questions for you to ask yourself, your colleagues, and your staff members.

Is your work environment a healthy one?  And how would you know?

Sometimes we forget the purpose of the workplace.

The workplace, wherever that might be nowadays, should be an environment that enables employees to achieve their job and make advancement for the organisation they work for, in addition to making improvements in their own development and career.

So, does your workplace allow you and or your team to do this effectively?

The elements that impact this ecosystem and the atmosphere within it includes the physical structure and equipment, the environmental, emotional, and psychological requirements of the workforce, and the needs of the business (strategy and profitability). These two side of view are not opposed to each other.

To assess the toxicity of any working environment managers should find ways to measure whether employees feel that they are working within a space that is:

• Healthy: provides for mental, physical, and emotional positive stimulus and development opportunities.
• Individual, team/departmental, and organisational goals are clear, realistic, time-framed, achievable, and understood by all.
• Everyone is clear about what they are expected to do and achieve.
• Everyone feels valued as individuals and in relation to their contribution.
• Employees feel heard. They experience being listened to and acknowledged.
• Opportunities for progression; increased pay, and benefits are equally open to all.
• The originator of good and successful ideas, suggestions, creativity, and innovation is directly given recognition.
• A safe place/space to express views openly and have them discussed.
• Conflicts are acknowledged and resolved fairly. Not avoided and left to fester.
• Transparency and openness exist across the management and team levels.
• Is there one rule for the majority and different rules for the few?

Coincidentally, as I was writing this article, my husband came in from work and showed me a card that read ‘You have been recognised by your peers and your management team for your can-do attitude.  Thank you for your hard work and continued support.’ Signed by his team manager, Darren. Along with the card he was given a bottle of wine and a £30 voucher.  He has only been working for this company for seven months.  Needless to say, he is very happy to be recognised in this way and will want to continue working there.

People will stay where they are happy and with the job market both across America, Europe, and the UK looking buoyant for job seekers, it’s easy to see that losing your best staff is currently a high possibility.  Even if you can’t offer a huge pay increase, and we know that money is not the only reason people move jobs or careers, there are many other ways to encourage your best people to stay with you.

The bottom line is to create and maintain a positive, non-toxic place to work in.  If you don’t currently have this, face the issue, and change it.  Get external help and support if you need to but do it. Your future business depends on the working environment you create.