High stress. Constant turnover. Low morale. Little team cohesion. These are just some of the signs of a toxic work culture, and it’s important, before we go any further, to ask yourself: Is that the kind of workplace you have? Really think about it for a moment, because often those who work in a toxic environment don’t quite realize it; they question their own reality, or simply blame themselves for their unhappiness. But if you and your teammates struggle with engagement, with high anxiety, and with the constant interruptions of office politics and team discord, that may mean that your culture is simply poisonous.
That’s the bad news, but there’s some good news too: Leaders shape culture, and as such they can be proactive in fixing a culture that’s broken. It won’t be easy and it won’t be overnight, but there are some things you can do to remove the toxicity in your work environment.
I’m going to recommend a few detoxifying strategies here:
- Consider open allocation culture. Instead of assigning work to each employee, allow them to gravitate toward teams and projects that they feel passionate about — just so long as they are working on initiatives that benefit the company.
- Fire people who bring the company culture down — but don’t fire them cold. A big part of reserving healthy company culture is getting rid of the…
