Nobody sets out to have a company with toxic work culture. However, there are things that develop over time that go unchecked and lead to a toxic environment at work. It could be that there is bullying at work, or that things like sexual harassment and discrimination are overlooked.
Once this culture gets bedded in, it has to be reversed otherwise the company will be in peril. A company with this kind of culture can’t grow and thrive and is often on its way to closing its doors. You can read more about what sexual harassment is like but first, read on to see how to reverse a toxic work culture before it’s too late.
Address concerns right away
Once a toxic culture sets in, there are going to be a lot of grievances from the employees and even management. Although they could be overwhelming, this is the time to hear them out and address the concerns that people have.
One of the things that leads to a work culture like this is the fact that people didn’t feel that they could come to the higher-ups with their concerns. Many of the people that left took professionalism with them.
The ones that stayed were either too afraid to do anything or were the bullies themselves. This leads to a situation that can’t be sustained. Make sure that everybody there knows how to bring their concerns to their superiors and what the protocol is going to be to make sure that concerns are addressed and resolved.
Once people see that things are being done to fix the problems then they will respond positively.
Give people some breathing room
Overworking employees is going to lead to them getting burned out and will inevitably cause problems at work. When people feel like they are being worked to death for little pay, they are too tired and stressed to work properly and this is when tensions rise. They can end up taking their frustrations out on others and this leads to conflicts.
The way to avoid these problems is to give people the ability to work in a way that works for them. Give them a day or two to work from home so they can avoid a long stressful commute. Demanding that people come in on the weekends is also something that you should only do in case of an emergency. Lastly, don’t make face time a priority over getting the work done. This way people can leave at a reasonable hour from work.
Create a handbook
A workplace needs a codified set of rules and expectations in which everybody understands how to behave. Having a handbook is a great way to make sure that people understand their roles and how to deal with procedures.
Some of the items will seem obvious to a reasonable person, but having everybody read it and sign a form that they understand will reinforce the tenets of a good company workplace.