BY C. Lee Smith
Business owners and leaders invest heavily in producing goods and services. And they try to hire the best talent. But regardless of the team cohesion strategies they implement, a toxic culture could threaten their viability as a business.
The Impact of a Toxic Workplace
In his recent post on Appreciation at Work, Paul White describes the difference between a bad workplace and a toxic workplace. In a toxic workplace, employees can become physically ill. Studies show cases of atrial fibrillation brought on by stress in the workplace.
Toxic Bosses
Employees suffer when they must deal with bosses who make unreasonable demands. Supervisors who lose their cool and yell or curse at employees also increase the stress levels. Meanwhile, the employee may feel they can’t quite because they need their paycheck.
This type of negative energy fuels discontent, regardless of the team cohesion strategies a supervisor may put in place.
Favoritism
The operations guides that corporate leaders approve should be guardrails against bad behavior. But that’s not always the case. Some supervisors find ways to favor specific employees.
The rest of the employees watch as one person on the team is allowed to miss deadlines again and again. But when another team member is late with a deliverable, they might be immediately removed from the project.
Poor Communication
Another feature of a toxic workplace is a lack of communication. Employees may learn of a new hire the day that person starts work. If internal candidates had been hoping for a promotion, they’ll be disappointed.
That disappointment will translate to reduced engagement, especially when it comes to team cohesion strategies. Employees won’t feel safe offering their opinions in meetings, if they believe they won’t be listened to. They’ll also wonder if they have all the pertinent information.
Team Cohesion Strategies Require Fixing Toxic Culture
Research published in the MITSloan Management Review reveals that business decision-
Over half of the surveyed professionals in our Voice of the Sales Rep survey indicated they have worked with toxic team members or bosses. Their responses to our question about how the work environment felt included the following:
- Very difficult
- Depressing
- It was horrible. They quit.
- Gave them headaches
Fixing a toxic work culture usually entails making some difficult decisions. Pinpointing the causes usually comes down to one or more of the following elements highlighted by academic researchers. These elements are:
- Leadership
- Social norms
- Work design
Leadership
Most employees take their cue regarding workplace behavior from the leadership. If the business leaders treat each other and their direct reports disrespectfully, that behavior is likely to cascade through the organization.
Leaders need to examine their daily interactions. They may also find that a member of their team is the chief cause of toxicity. If the person cannot change their ways, the leadership team may need to separate them from the company.
To avoid these problems in the future, leaders should require all candidates and job applicants to take a psychometric assessment. With that information, they'll learn who has the potential to engage in toxic workplace behavior.
Social norms
The day-
And when an employee disagrees with a proposed solution to a problem, they should do so with a positive attitude.
Work Design
Company leaders may have inadvertently set up jobs that can cause an antagonistic relationship between employees. Let’s say that your accountant cannot close the books on the month because they are waiting for the sales data. And the sales manager is always late with their report.
A face-
Other work design issues that lead to toxicity is the tendency to overload high producers. Managers know which employees put in the effort to get the job done. Over time, these employees need the proper rewards to ensure they don't grow resentful.
The best team cohesion strategies require managers to monitor and adjust their behavior and corporate culture. By meeting the needs and expectations of employees, they'll keep the focus on achieving goals.
Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels.