Toxic Work Culture Will Make Your People Leave

No matter how highly qualified you and your people are, the worst thing that could happen to your practice is to turn into a toxic environment leading to a dramatic drop in productivity. Even if you are good at persuasion and managing people, there are limits to how much you can change people. The emergence of toxic work culture is sometimes quickly discovered and treated. However, sometimes when your practice turns into an irremediable toxic environment you will be the first to want to leave.

Early signs of toxic work include the formation of cliques in the office behind the back of managers where groups of employees start working together forming a closed group that is filled with backstabbing, sabotaging, and tension at work reducing productivity. As soon as managers start tackling those groups employee turnover rate explodes. Great leaders are talented at spotting cliques before they start forming and act proactively by stating loud and clear that certain behaviors like gossip and the spread of rumors are prohibited. Moreover, managers should develop relationships with team members inside and outside the practice providing enough time and opportunities to socialize and get involved with collective activities.

Toxic work culture signs also include lack of motivation, fatigue, and low morale. A positive mood and work environment increase motivation and productivity. When team members are fueled with enthusiasm and moving forward together they can achieve considerable things. Some reasons why employees might not be so motivated include busy schedules, poor work-life balance, and experiencing burnout. A busy schedule should be replaced by prioritizing jobs and tasks. Work-life balance can be improved by separating the tasks, properly allocating time, and avoiding work matters to follow you at home. To prevent burnout frequent vacations and days off are required.

The purpose and values of your practice should constantly be reminded and communicated to your employees. Sitting with employees and planning activities inside and outside the workplace should not be neglected. Setting goals with your employees on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis is very important in building confidence and a culture of trust and commitment. Matching employees on levels of seniority, experience, or skills to mentor each other equally reduces toxic work culture.