A toxic work environment takes time to develop, but once a workplace is set in unhealthy ways, it can be challenging to fix it. This results in rampant ostracism, incivility, and other behaviours that can affect productivity and lead to burnout for leaders and employers.

Moreover, it can be challenging to attract new hires and a more qualified workforce to an organisation that has developed a reputation for toxicity.

That is why it is vital to understand its reasons and do everything possible to remove it from your work environment. 

Identifying The Signs Of A Toxic Work Environment

Here are some key indicators that you have a toxic workplace at your hands:

• Rampant discrimination among employees
• High turnover
• Grapevine and gossip instead of official channels for news
• Unmotivated and disengaged employees
• Unhealthy work-life balance
• Harmful competition among co-workers
• Lack of trust between colleagues
• Fear of superiors
• Fear of retribution
• Increasing absenteeism and employees who go AWOL
• Unclear expectations between managers and employees
• Hesitancy in asking questions
• Uncertain responsibilities and boundaries

These traits of a toxic work environment certainly make it clear that it is essential for a company to quickly realise the issues and solve them as early as possible to better people and the organisation’s future.

Ways to Detoxify and Improve the Work Environment

According to a study, one in five Australian employees has felt mentally unwell and has taken time off due to stress from work environment issues. Unhappy employees are less productive, make more mistakes, and many of them find employment elsewhere.

There are various ways to identify a toxic environment. The best is to talk directly to employees about the issues which directly or indirectly affect them. You’ll find that the same issues are repeatedly mentioned. It may be a passive-aggressive manager, inappropriate interactions between co-workers, non-existent boundaries, etc.

Leaders must address these challenges in real-time to create a kind, respectful, professional workplace conducive to productivity. Here are a few ways to do just that:

1. Recognise the Problem and Accept Responsibility

Recognising the problem is the first step; if a leader or a manager is not ready to accept the situation, there can be no progress in eliminating toxicity from the workplace. The most common method to identify and recognise a problem is to conduct employee surveys.

The next important thing is to take action. Through employee surveys, the employer can know the causes of the toxicity in the workplace.

Sometimes, the managers are responsible for a toxic workplace as they don’t take the employee feedback seriously or remain quiet when help is needed. This can demotivate your people and cause them to leave, increasing turnover and damaging your organisation’s reputation as an employer.

2. Give Credit Where It’s Due

Employees sometimes take credit for others’ efforts and work to make themselves look better and gain a positive image. This gesture within employees demotivates people from giving their utmost effort at work.

When employees are not given proper credit for their work, they soon stop giving their hundred per cent as they know that nobody cares about their commitment and hard work.

Organisations should prioritise honesty and verify claims of doing work. Employers should call out employee contributions to a project and

assignment and reward the employees who work hard for your company. It is an excellent gesture to encourage honesty among the team. Another good gesture is recognising others who acknowledge their teammates’ efforts.

3. Prevent Discrimination 

In Australia, it is unlawful to discriminate on the basis of a number of protected attributes including age, disability, race, sex, intersex status, gender identity and sexual orientation in certain areas of public life, including education and employment.

The best way to discover inequality and discrimination is by ensuring employees have a mechanism to raise concerns directly with you or by asking the employees themselves. Employees know and see things more clearly than anyone. Ask them personally or through a feedback survey and ensure strict implementation of the Anti-Discrimination Law.

4. Let Your People Enjoy Better Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is a winning factor for companies to retain employees; It can improve employees’ mental health and physical health and increase their dedication to work.

Employers have a legal obligation to ensure a safe and healthy workplace, and they have to do something if their employees are overwhelmed by work. Provide flexible hours to employees so they can work with focus and efficiency.

Give realistic deadlines and workload. Every employee has different abilities to execute work, and giving them more than what they can handle can result in anxiety, stress, and burnout.

Companies that encourage staff to take leave and recommend work-life balance for employees create a healthy and positive relationship between the corporation and staff.

5. Eliminate Unfriendly Competition

It is natural to have healthy competition, and it can benefit a company’s growth. But unfriendly competition can take your company backward and have a negative impact.

Unhealthy competition can arise from putting importance on performance. The emphasis on performance is a good thing, but it should be measured on an individual scale. Leaders don’t want employees to have negative feelings toward each other.

Moreover, managers must take their role as mentors and motivators for employees seriously. Enforce core values in the entire hierarchical order, so there is no room for mistrust.

6. Reduce Absenteeism

Absenteeism is a severe issue for organisations. Many reasons can cause absenteeism; your employees can be sick or have mental health problems due to stress. Absenteeism has severe financial consequences on the employer.

HR should keep a keen eye on this issue and identify it as a probable cause of a toxic environment in a workplace.

Conclusion

A business with happy employees is a business that prospers. Without a safe environment, employees can never be able to trust their superiors and be proud of their work.

Care about your employees’ health as they are the pillars of your organisation. A toxic work environment hampers financial growth and gives organisations a bad name in the job market.

HR Expert Australia helps you create a legally compliant and healthy work environment tailored to the needs of your company and your employees.

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