Toxic Workplaces | This Working Life, ABC RN
Is it time to review your workplace culture?
Workplace culture can have a significant impact on how people experience work, how teams function and the risks an organisation needs to manage.
Anna Pannuzzo was interviewed on ABC Radio National's This Working Life about toxic work cultures, what they can look like, how they affect people and what employers can do to address the underlying issues.
What can a dysfunctional workplace look like?
There is no single definition of a "toxic workplace", and not every workplace problem means an organisation has a toxic culture.
However, there are warning signs that workplace culture may not be functioning well.
Five common signs include:
Poor leadership and lack of support
Poor communication
Negative attitudes and resistance to change
Lack of teamwork and collaboration
Ongoing workplace conflict
These issues rarely exist in isolation. Poor communication can contribute to conflict. Poor leadership can allow inappropriate behaviour to continue. A lack of trust can make employees reluctant to raise concerns.
Over time, these patterns can contribute to absenteeism, staff turnover, poor relationships, reduced performance and psychosocial risks.
When workplace culture becomes a workplace risk
Workplace culture is more than whether employees enjoy coming to work.
The way people are treated, how leaders respond to concerns and whether inappropriate behaviour is tolerated can all influence workplace health and safety.
Psychosocial hazards can arise from the way work is designed and managed, as well as workplace interactions and behaviours. Depending on the circumstances, these can include bullying, harassment, poor workplace relationships, conflict and other behaviours that create a risk to workers' health and safety.
For example, Fair Work guidance defines workplace bullying as repeated unreasonable behaviour towards a worker or group of workers that creates a risk to health and safety.
That is why employers should not wait until a workplace problem becomes a formal complaint before looking at what is happening within the team.
Why should employers address workplace culture?
A healthy workplace culture does not happen by accident.
Leaders set expectations through what they say, what they do and what they allow to continue. Employees also need clear standards of behaviour, appropriate support and confidence that concerns will be taken seriously.
Employers have obligations to manage health and safety risks, including psychosocial risks. There are also specific legal obligations relating to issues such as sexual harassment and discrimination. Employers must take proactive steps to prevent and respond to sexual harassment, and organisations have a positive duty under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to take reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate certain unlawful conduct, as far as possible.
A useful starting point is understanding what your people are actually experiencing.
How can employers identify workplace culture risks?
Regular conversations with employees can provide valuable insight into what is happening within a workplace.
Depending on the organisation, this might include:
employee surveys or pulse checks
structured team discussions
leadership feedback
reviewing workplace complaints and trends
examining turnover, absenteeism and other workforce data
an independent workplace culture review.
Importantly, culture reviews should not simply look for problems. They can help identify what is working well, where risks may exist and where leaders have opportunities to strengthen the workplace.
Find out more about Workplace Culture Reviews >
What happens when workplace culture needs attention?
The right response will depend on what is driving the problem.
Sometimes the answer is clearer expectations, better communication or leadership development. In other situations, employers may need to address specific behaviour, manage conflict, investigate a complaint or take steps to manage a psychosocial hazard.
The important thing is to understand what is actually happening before deciding what needs to change.
A workplace culture that allows problems to go unaddressed can make individual issues harder to manage over time.
Listen to the ABC Radio National interview
Anna Pannuzzo discussed toxic workplace cultures with This Working Life on ABC Radio National, exploring what dysfunctional workplaces can look like, how they affect people and what employers can do about them.
Listen to the interview here >
If you're concerned about your workplace culture or want to better understand what your employees are experiencing, book a confidential discovery call with Workplace Plus.
