While some jobs are more inherently stressful than others, a poor corporate culture will make any job more stressful. These unduly stressful jobs breed toxic behavior, creating a vicious cycle that undermines employee well-being and organizational performance. Toxic workplace cultures lead to a host of negative outcomes, including employee attrition, mental health issues, physical illness, burnout, and even increased risk of death.
To maximize productivity and performance, leaders must create a healthy work environment by taking proactive steps to create the optimal culture within their organization. In doing so, they reduce the triggers for workplace stress.
If you are uncertain whether or not there is unnecessary stress within your organization, you can be certain there is. The question is not ‘are our team members unduly stressed,’ it should be “how are our team members unduly stressed, and what actions can we take to mitigate the problem?”
We can help you work through the process! Whether you engage with us or another group, there are steps you need to take. I thought we could share a high-level perspective on places to begin.
You can’t manage what you don’t measure!
Step 1: Collect and analyze employee feedback.
In my book “Assholes Matter,” I shared an excellent questionnaire for any business to collect feedback. If you are going to examine any issue, you need meaningful data. Tools such as engagement surveys, 360 reviews, and exit interviews are incredibly useful. Pay special attention to free-text responses, as they can provide the most powerful and actionable insights. These can provide a holistic view of leadership and culture throughout the organization.
Often, when faced with a new process of this sort, people are concerned about repercussions from speaking freely. The existence of said fears reflects some level of toxicity! Ensure psychological safety for employees by guaranteeing anonymity and protecting them from retribution. Act transparently when addressing any key findings, communicate why actions are being taken, and clearly connect the actions to the feedback so that people know their voices are heard.
Step 2: Remove barriers to progress.
High-stress workplaces contribute to toxic behavior and negative outcomes. Part of the survey process should be employee input into redesigning workflow and demands to improve productivity. Not every suggestion will be appropriate, but if a stressor is identified, it should be examined as a potential area for optimization. These often include:
a. Nuisance work: As an organization grows, some managers create processes for the sake of processes. In some cases, such as GMP and ISO-9001 certifications, the processes are functional to ensure standardization and critical to performance. The processes are designed to efficiently streamline practices. However, sometimes an organization becomes burdened by bureaucratic processes that simply exist to prove activity and cover people’s asses in case of errors. The fact these exist points to toxicity! Eliminate annoying job demands, such as dealing with red-tape, unclear roles, and responsibilities, or insufficient resources, as they are more highly correlated with employee stress and burnout than challenging work.
b. Clarify job descriptions and responsibilities: Reduce stress by clearly structuring job descriptions and defining roles and responsibilities. Provide frequent, high-quality feedback to help employees manage conflicting demands.
c. Give employees more control over their work: Empower employees by providing them with autonomy over their work, as this can mitigate the negative impact of unclear or conflicting roles and responsibilities. However, be cautious not to overload employees with tasks, as empowerment cannot offset extreme levels of work.
d. Consider the impact of remote work: When making decisions about remote work policies, consider factors such as the physical demands of the job and the importance of social interactions and support in the workplace.
Step 3: Address toxicity through accountability.
Leaders play a crucial role in shaping organizational culture. To build and support the optimal environment in the workplace, leaders must:
a. Model respectful behavior: Leaders should demonstrate the values and behaviors they expect from their employees, treating all individuals with respect and dignity.
b. Hold toxic leaders accountable: Use the insights gained from employee feedback to identify and address toxic behavior among managers. Provide coaching and support for leaders to improve their behavior and be prepared to remove those who persist in toxic practices.
c. Foster a culture of psychological safety: Create an environment where employees feel safe voicing their concerns and providing feedback without fear of retaliation.
d. Communicate and reinforce cultural values: Clearly articulate the organization’s values and expectations regarding respectful behavior. Reinforce these values through regular communication, training, and recognition of positive behaviors.
Step 4: Rinse, lather, repeat
Detoxifying an organization’s culture is an ongoing optimization process that requires continuous monitoring and adaptation. To maintain momentum and engagement, it’s a continuous process of collecting and analyzing employee feedback to assess their perspectives on progress and identify common ground areas for improvement.
When visible progress is made, celebrate it! Not just progress vis-à-vis cultural changes, but in all areas of the business. Stopping to recognize success, small and large, is key to communicating the emphasis on the positive impact of cultural changes.
No process can be static, nor can you simply drop the above process into your organization and watch it work through the cycles seamlessly. You need to be prepared to adapt your approach to your organization’s needs, which is why an outside perspective and assistance are key. An outsider is also more likely to elicit unbiased feedback from others. Employees are (rightfully) increasingly unwilling to tolerate disrespect, exclusionary behavior, abuse, and other toxic behaviors. Organizations that fail to address toxicity will lose the war on retention, and the high turnover will correspond to new difficulties in recruiting new talent. By collecting and acting on employee feedback and continuously monitoring progress, leaders can create a healthy work environment that respects the dignity of all employees and fosters long-term organizational success.
By remaining committed to creating a healthy, respectful workplace and empowering employees to be part of the solution, you will help your organization develop the optimal culture for performance and reduce employee stress.