Even with activities and events in place (retreats, bi-weekly happy hours, team-building activities, etc.) to encourage camaraderie, community, and a positive work environment, there’s still a chance that some toxicity can enter your office and negatively impact employee wellbeing.
In fact, studies show that toxic behavior, bullying, and hostility are all commonplace in today’s workplace. Even more alarming are the results on how companies plan to deal with a toxic work environment. More than half of the study’s participants said they don’t have plans to deal with toxic behavior in the workplace, and just under 50% said they did not spend any resources on creating a healthy work environment.
If this study is any indication of the greater corporate sentiment, then companies and employees have a real problem on their hands.
Below is everything you need to know about why toxic work environments are harmful and how you can address them today.
This might seem like a no-brainer, but if companies aren’t investing in creating a healthy work environment and addressing toxicity in the workplace, then understanding why toxic behavior is harmful is really the first step in creating a positive work environment.
Toxic work environments can be a lot like mold - you may not see it, but you have a sense that something isn’t quite right, and it can do serious harm if left unchecked.
There are many forms of a toxic work environment - a narcissistic boss, cliquey team members that engage in bullying, a lack of direction and sense of aimlessness, a lack of transparency and communication, and a work regiment that is constantly stretching employees thin and leaving them burnt out.
Regardless of the kind of toxic behavior brewing in your workplace, these environments are harmful to employees’ mental health and your business because they:
The good news is that there are simple steps you can take to address toxicity in the workplace and ensure it doesn’t continue to occur into the future.
The first step to making a great workplace is addressing the toxicity and negativity already within it. It is often the case that when the employees are happy, so are the customers, which all trickles down to the company itself.
So how do you actually address a toxic workplace? It starts at the top.
One of the big things to remember is that you’re not just trying to rid the work environment of toxic behavior, you’re trying to replace it with positive and healthier behaviors that enhance workforce culture and wellbeing.
On top of providing the necessary training, incentives, and leadership to combat a toxic work environment, you can completely transform your workplace by empowering your employees to take care of their health and wellbeing and connect around shared interests like fitness and cooking - no matter where they are.
At Grokker, we know that happy employees make happy customers, which leads to a vibrant and successful business. An investment in the health and wellbeing of your employees is an investment in the health and wellbeing of your company.
Sign up for a live Grokker demo today.