Five signs of a toxic work environment

Ambitious and hard-working employees can only thrive in an environment that is friendly and open to new ideas. Conversely, when a workplace is toxic, not only will quality workers quit, but even those who remain will sooner or later show a significant decline in productivity and motivation. As an HR manager, you need to be able to recognise the signs of a toxic environment and, if necessary, start addressing the situation as soon as possible. So here are five signs to look out for.

Illustration

Dysfunctional communication

As stated by HR Zone, one of the main signs of a toxic work environment is dysfunctional or insufficient communication. An environment with an unhealthy atmosphere and lack of collaboration is characterised by, among other things, a lot of communication noise, communication channels not working, information not being distributed as it should, and rank-and-file workers being afraid to speak up.

Micromanagement

One of the symptoms (as well as causes) of a toxic work environment is micromanagement, i.e. chronic detailed management of workers. This stems from long-standing mistrust and is something every company should try to avoid.

Promoting unhealthy attitudes to work

A toxic work environment encourages unhealthy work-related behaviours, such as workaholism or excessive risk-taking. These occurrences might be encouraged directly or indirectly.

Bullying

If oppression or outright bullying of workers, whether by colleagues or supervisors, is commonplace, the work environment is definitely toxic.

Reduced worker productivity and motivation

One of the manifestations of toxicity already being present is reduced worker motivation and productivity, which, among other things, can affect the overall performance of teams or the company as a whole.



-mm-

Article source HR Zone - British website focused on HR
Read more articles from HR Zone