4 SIGNS THAT REFLECT YOU DON’T HAVE A HEALTHY WORK CULTURE
Healthy work culture is one of the most stressed aspects of building a great team in today’s scenario. In the words of Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, “If you get the culture right, most of the other stuff will just take care of itself.”
But we are still far away from being in a situation where employees can proudly say that the business for which they work actually takes care of them. Yes, there are examples of such business that are going above and beyond to create a thriving work culture, but the names are few and far between.
More often than not, the reason behind this is because the management does not really know what’s the real cause behind the toxic work culture.
If you are trying to figure out whether your business culture needs a makeover or is it healthy enough to support employee growth or not, then here are four clear signs that will help you understand better:
MANAGERS CHERISH UNQUESTIONING OBEDIENCE
Do managers in your office yearn to create an army of YES PEOPLE? Are there team leaders who love being told that he or she is perfect, even though they are far from it? Do you have people in the top tier who think that performance rules don’t apply to them?
If any of these scenarios sound familiar to you, then it is most certain that you are part of a work culture, which is not healthy for a career.
Having a narcissistic person on top of hierarchy means that your employees will never get opportunity to work with creative freedom. At the same time, they will never get credit for the success, but they will always be blamed to the failures. And, this is the first clear sign that your business work culture is not by any means healthy.
TEAMS WORK IN A COMMUNAL FISHBOWL-STYLE SETTING
The second indicator that your workplace does not foster healthy working atmosphere is that the employees are at their desk from 9 o’clock in the morning till 6 o’clock in the evening continuously. Leaders and the management needs to understand that breaks are important to keep a person productive.
It is a general perception among leaders that employees who take frequent breaks are less productive. Whereas the reality is exactly the opposite. There have been researches that have shown people who take regular breaks at work to be more productive than the counterparts who don’t.
If you are making your employees work in an atmosphere where their productivity is measured by the number of hours spent at the desk rather than the results, then it is not a healthy workplace for sure.
RULES CHANGE FROM PERSON TO PERSON
‘Person A gets scolded for something, while person B gets promoted.’ It is a common scene in almost all organizations. Employee favoritism is the term that is used to describe it.
There is always that one person in the office, who is the boss’ favorite. Not because of the dedication at office or the work ethics that person follows, but because of their buttering habits. Such a person always gets away with the scolding and is the first one to get shower of appreciation for something.
A workplace where rules vary from person to person can never foster a healthy atmosphere. This is because the employees won’t have faith in the management, or their leader. And, when the employees don’t have faith in the management, they will never be able to give their hundred percent.
MAJOR GAPS IN COMMUNICATION LINES
Gap in communication creates holes in the team just like the salted winters create holes in the doors of an old car. It exudes a sense of negativity within the employees that makes them vulnerable.
When was the last time you had a one-on-one with your team members to get their feedback on how the team is doing? (if you are an employee, then the question would be when the last time your manager interacted with you and had a feedback session with you, asking what can be done to better the workplace).
If you can’t remember the last time when you were in such a situation, then it is a clear sign that your work culture is a toxic one.
Published on LinkedIn by Sandeep Kashyap, FounDer of ProofHub