Devan Moonsamy 

When a work environment is plagued by toxicity, it starts to have an impact on the wellness of staff. Workplace culture plays an important role in the journey of employees in the business. It can shape the way they carry out their duties, engage in activities and their overall enthusiasm for being in the business. 

A toxic work culture consists of conflict, negative energy, hostility and even isolation. There is a lack of team spirit and a gap in deliverables being met. The reality is that a toxic work culture can be the cause for many staff members feeling disconnected on the verge of leaving. It pushes people to the point in which they feel their mental health is being compromised. 

If the work environment is lacking room for growth and creativity for the staff, this will impact the way in which the business meets its objectives. Toxic work culture doesn’t just occur with staff. It is also the pitfalls and lack of encouragement from senior staff members that are hindering the progress of the team. It is for this reason that toxic work culture needs to be eradicated to ensure there is room for growth and opportunity. 

Senior management not following the company guidelines and thinking they are above the policies are a classic start to a toxic work place. If you have management not meeting objectives of the business timeously, coming in and leaving whenever they fancy and even cutting corners when needing to meet company objectives – then this is the start of the toxic environment.

Staff members should not be made to feel as if they are picking up the slack, whilst a senior management member reaps the benefit. A toxic environment has managers who are not able to lead their people, ruin the environment because of their lack of accountability. It is important to ensure that your team sees you as the beacon of hope, the light to their dark days and the influencer to encourage them when the work place gets a bit too much to handle.

Lack of collaboration between team members also contributes to a toxic environment. This presents itself as an opportunity for the team to just believe in the fact that they can only rely on themselves. This causes a gap in the aspect of team work in the business. Instead of working together people might find it more fitting to hash it out on their own rather than asking anyone for assistance. As a result, there is a lack of growth for the team members. 

The reality is that when company work culture becomes toxic, the first thing to fall is trust between team members. As a result, there silo working mentality is established. People in the workplace would rather work by themselves instead of leaning in on another person to gain assistance. 

If we don’t fix our toxic work cultures, there will always be a barrier to growth. The environment with its hostility and frustration is preventing the team from moving forward to their goals and objectives. 

Here are a few ways to pave the way for growth and work on the toxicity in the workplace: 

  • Conduct a review on your team’s performance more regularly. Engage with the team and observe their work. This will help you to determine the best possible plan to assist them in enhancing their presence in the business. You can identify gaps and even applaud the moments that they had a good performance. The route of recognition will help break team members away from the negativity around the work culture. 
  • Reintroduce your values to your team. Perhaps it has been a while since team engagement and identification of values. Having a catch-up session and relooking at the values can help work on why people feel they should be in the workplace that they are in. Engagement is the most important element to break the toxicity in the workplace. 
  • Show your staff that you care. If they have lost a loved one recently or they were absent from work due to ill health, check in on them. If you don’t engage with staff and show them you care they start to participate in the toxicity in the work place. This will cause tension for others and even encourage other team members to chime in on how bad the organisation is. 
  • Train senior management on how to handle staff members. Deal with issues of favouritism and concerns around lack of policy implementation. When we listen and act on what our team needs, we will see a more holistic environment. People will want to come to work and participate because there are no sides. 
  • Growth is important for all employees. Ensure you have plans and steps in place to assist staff in their developmental goals in the business. If they need upskilling and training, send them on those courses. It is a sign that you care about their growth and you will overcome the challenges to meet their needs. Accommodate their grievances and assist them. These are all steps that must be taken to overcome the toxic workplace that sees a large staff turnover. Do things that will keep your staff happy and employed with you.

Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a South African Corporate Training Provider & National Learning Institute. He is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, AND My Leadership Legacy Journal available from the ICHAF Training Institute. 

The ICHAF Training Institute offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | 083 303 9159 |

Email: admin@ichaftraining.co.za devan@ichaftraining.co.za | 

Website: www.ichaftraining.co.za |  www.devan-moonsamy.com