Overcoming a Toxic Work Culture

Overcoming a toxic work culture and cultivating a positive culture can be a struggle. Especially now that so many employees are working hybrid or fully remote schedules. Getting employees on the same page and cultivating a positive work culture can feel like like a never ending uphill battle. 

The truth is, fostering a positive work culture isn’t just about people being happy at work, it also effects employee engagement, productivity and profitability. A positive work culture could be the difference between a successful team and one that falls short. 

You know that a positive work culture is important. However, sometimes it can be hard to put into actionable steps how to cultivate a positive work culture especially when a toxic work culture seems to be taking over. In order to determine how to foster a positive work culture, leaders need to know what causes a negative or toxic culture. 

What causes a toxic culture?

A toxic workplace culture can stem from management, co-workers or even the job itself. Here are some of the most common reasons a work environment becomes “toxic”:

Favoritism:

When management shows unwarranted favoritism this can create a negative work environment for other employees. Favoritism can make other employees feel excluded, unrecognized and unappreciated. All of these are negative emotions that can lead to a toxic culture and an overall negative work environment. 

Lack of recognition:

When an employee exceeds expectations but is not recognized this can leave an employee feeling deflated, unmotivated, and undervalued. These negative feelings can cause employees to apply minimal effort on projects and to continually perform at a low level. This often occurs because employees don't believe they will be recognized for any efforts that go above and beyond. 

Unhealthy Communication:

This can stem from both employees and management. Communication is key for a successful work environment. However, unhealthy communication can lead to feelings of belittlement, being misunderstood, and an over all sense of frustration among employees and leaders alike. 

Cliques:

It's understandable that some people may hit it off and become quick work friends. However, when these friendships become cliques that exclude other employees this leads to a feeling of exclusion and toxicity. Employees don't want to show up to work every day and feel like an outsider; this can occur if they are working remotely or in person.

What can be done to counteract a toxic culture and create a positive culture instead?

Creating a positive workplace culture starts with those in a leadership role. Here are a few steps that can be taken to begin fostering a positive work culture:

Ensure that employees receive equal treatment, benefits, reasonable accommodation and respect:

Eliminating favoritism and implementing a respectful attitude toward all employees can have a huge impact on employee engagement and work ethic. When employees feel respected they are more loyal and grateful toward their employers.

Recognize employees when they exceed expectations:

Whether that be in a video meeting, verbally acknowledging their work, in a written format, or monetarily with a promotion/raise. Recognizing employees encourages positive emotions and instills the idea that hard work will lead to favorable outcomes. 

Cultivate and encourage open communication:

This may mean setting aside time to meet with each of your employees, individually allowing them to have the floor to speak while you listen and empathize with them. 

Set boundaries when it comes to potential cliques:

This may mean speaking to employees individually, encouraging their friendships, while also helping them to remain professional and inclusive in a group setting. Establishing acceptable guidelines will help employees to feel they are all part of the same team. 

Put it into practice: 

These actions seem simple enough, however putting them into practice in a tangible form can be difficult. Leading a team and building a positive work culture can feel very abstract. The qualities of a good leader must also be combined with the right tools, leadership training, and the ability to implement these skills.

How can you gain leadership training and tools to help you thrive as a leader and cultivate a positive culture? 

Altitude Training is designed to help leaders elevate their leadership skills with practical tools and concepts that actually work. Altitude Training includes 50 training sessions. Each training session can be completed in 30 minutes or less, making it the perfect length for those with a busy schedule. This training program offers real world tools that will allow you to take your leadership to the next level. 

Altitude Training is created for leaders of all levels, so whether you are new to a leadership role or have years of experience this program will help you to expound on your leadership skills so you can become a great leader, solve problems effectively, and in turn create a thriving work culture. 

Altitude training gives you the leadership training, tools and resources you need to help your team thrive!