How to deal with a toxic workplace culture

how to deal with a toxic workplace culture

Company culture has otherwise also been known as organisational culture and workplace culture. It refers to the shared beliefs and values established by leaders for a shared workspace. Company culture also refers to how matters are  communicated and reinforced at a firm. A toxic workplace culture is an example that can cause distress for many.

 

In order to prevent circumstances of dampened employee morale, unnecessary workplace stress and decreased work performance, leaders should attempt to create a positive workplace culture. 


In this article, we will be looking at some tips and tricks you can adopt to deal with a toxic workplace culture. This should help you achieve stronger team collaboration, efficiency and productivity at the workplace.

A word of caution before we delve into the article: this written piece aims to function as a guide. It should not be read as a comprehensive or exhaustive list of advice when it comes to improving recruitment-related processes. The best way to find out what may work best would be by conducting ample research. 

Browsing through this article could function as the first step you take into exploring different ways to ensure building a positive company culture. A little touch up can go a long way! 

Without further ado, let’s get right into the article!

 

Foster better collaboration within teams

One of the best ways to deal with a toxic workplace culture is by building a working environment that promotes teamwork. Oftentimes, a toxic workplace culture must have developed due to misunderstandings or miscommunication between teammates. As such, open and honest communication is vital to creating a positive feeling in the workplace too.

Implementing transparency in communication among the different members of a workspace including department heads, management and team members can help employees feel heard and valued. 

 

Set up events, games, and lunch sessions to promote team spirit amongst the employees of your firm. Doing so will initiate opportunities for colleagues to interact with one another without deadlines and projects weighing down their thoughts. 

 

Fostering better collaboration within teams will undoubtedly help one better deal with a toxic workplace culture.

Establish organisational goals clearly

Wondering what’s the next strategy you can deploy to deal with a toxic workplace culture?

 

Well, establishing clear organisational goals earlier on can bring employees together. It also provides every individual with something common to work towards. Other than a pay check, of course.

 

Additionally, be sure to monitor the progress of the team at regular intervals as it can increase the chances of goals being met successfully. However, ensure that your presence does not come off as helicopter-like when your colleagues work on a project. Instead, offer your take on matters in a friendly manner. Guide the team, don’t instruct your co-workers. 

 

Setting organisational goals improves the quality of work produced within a workplace and helps employees to stay productive as well. By extension, this will also help to create a positive workplace culture.

Recognise and appreciate your colleague's efforts

Dealing with a toxic workplace culture can take other forms too. One such way? Encourage your colleagues to reach for the stars. When employees are seen performing beyond expectations, it is crucial that leaders recognise the work their staff have contributed. Take the necessary steps to reward them appropriately. 

 

Introducing such a system of appraisal will encourage employees to continue performing at impressive levels while also motivating others to work hard too. This will foster a culture of friendly competition and maximise productivity within an organisation too. Anyone who may be free-loading can thus be encouraged to work harder.

 

It’s also important to note that mistakes are common at a workplace. Should your co-workers make a blunder, don’t blame or ostracise them. Instead, acknowledge that mistakes are part of the learning curve and teach them ways to overcome similar hurdles. 

These acts of recognition and appreciation will promote a positive workplace culture. In other words, it will also rid the harbouring of negative energy within the office. And, that’s another tactic to deal with a toxic workplace culture.

Sometimes, a more rigid set-up is necessary to deal with a toxic workplace culture. Notice that an increasing number of employees leaving your firm? That’s a sounding alarm, signalling a cause for concern. 

Something must be causing people to be at unease. And that must be making them think of leaving the firm. If it’s a matter of inappropriate behaviour at the workplace, there must be pre-set rules for employers to take action accordingly. 

Everyone needs to feel safe at work. Ensure that you set up rules and boundaries that clearly allow no space for acts like discrimination. 

And at any time when you may witness such an act, take the action as you see fit. It will allow your co-workers to feel heard, safe, and reassured. 

 

What's next?

 

In conclusion, dealing with a toxic workplace culture is a delicate matter. Creating a positive work environment can foster a sense of pride and ownership amongst employees. It can also achieve higher levels of employee engagement, financial performance, productivity and customer satisfaction. 

 

 

Additionally, when employees feel better connected to their workplace, they tend to invest their future in the organisation. Employees work hard to create opportunities that benefit the company too. 

 

 

With these many promising benefits, perhaps it’s time for you to ensure a positive workplace culture is established within your organisation too!

 

 

And there you have it – a compiled list of 3 simple tips you can adopt to overcome a toxic workplace culture. With all that being said, we have to come to the end of this article! We hope this written piece has provided you with some insights as to how you can create a more pleasant work experience for your co-workers. 

In the meantime, if you’re on the lookout for job opportunities at organisations within Singapore or simple resources, read on! 😉

Need some career resources?

As was briefly covered above, GrabJobs shares career resources in the form of articles for people at different stages of their work lives. Our resources share details on how freshers can start to look for jobs more effectively, the best job interview practises, how individuals can grow their career and so much more! 

 

These are just some of the topics we explore, namely.

 

Feel free to visit GrabJobs here for more information and interesting reads! We hope you find our resources helpful and useful 🙂

If you’re on the lookout for jobs within other industries that are nonetheless located in Singapore, here’s an article that shares with you the top 19 job portals in Singapore.

 

No matter the industry or the position, remember to visit GrabJobs to find a job opportunity in Singapore easily!

Picture of Valentin Berard

Valentin Berard

COO at GrabJobs. Valentin leads strategic and operational activities regionally. Background in Business Development and Recruitment. Passionate about social innovation, he constantly strives to find solutions to real-world problems through harnessing smart technology. Read more: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeberard/