A toxic working environment: spotting a problem and fixing it

How do you detect a toxic working environment? There are numerous signals, the most obvious of which include low retention of employees, frequent burnouts and low effectivity of work. The secondary effects of a toxic environment might be harassment, bullying, discrimination and unethical behaviour. If there is such an unfavourable situation at your company, you as the HR department now have the following tasks in order to solve the problem.

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Identify toxic individuals

According to ChangeBoard.com, a toxic environment stems from the toxic attitude of some individuals. If such an environment has developed at your company, it is rooted in the behaviour of certain people. Try to identify the sources of the infection and work intensively with them.

Start with managers

Although the problem of a toxic environment permeates all levels of a company and manifests itself mostly in the daily work of lower-level employees, it is necessary to start with changes at the highest level of management. Managers are the bearers of company values and serve as role models for employees; therefore, they must offer a good example.

Make changes in company culture

There is no point in punishing individual employees. If a toxic environment has arisen at the company, it is due to an incorrectly set up company culture. And changes to this culture always take time to implement. So start as soon as possible with changing the basic rules and priorities of the company culture.

Expect emotional reactions

If a toxic atmosphere has developed at your company, you should expect emotional reactions to the changes you make. Be prepared for this and adjust your communication accordingly.

 

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Article source Changeboard - a global HR community
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