In the past, toxic behaviors in the workplace were often quietly tolerated and swept under the rug. Yet today, that’s no longer the case.
Workers now expect a healthy company culture and equitable work environment — and if faced with a toxic work culture, they’re likely to either hang up their hats or demand accountability.
Data from recent years backs this up. In fact, toxic work environments were the number one driver behind the Great Resignation of 2022 (beating out pay concerns by a factor of ten!)
Besides increasing turnover rates, toxic work environments promote absenteeism, worsen productivity, and harm decision-making. And these outcomes directly impact business finance — a study by the SHRM found that toxic cultures cost businesses $230 billion between 2014 and 2019.
Uprooting toxic behavior is a must for companies that want to create positive workplace cultures and improve employee retention, performance, and business revenue.
In this article, we’ll explore the signs of toxic workplace cultures plus share some suggestions for resolving and preventing toxic behavior from occurring in the first place.
According to Thomas Roulet, a professor of organizational theory at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, a toxic work environment is one in which abusive behaviors are normalized. These environments are rife with negative behaviors such as bullying, manipulation, belittling, silencing, and non-inclusivity like sexism and racism.
Employees that work in these environments are bound to suffer the consequences. They feel disempowered, humiliated, disrespected, and ignored. As a result, they start to disengage and perform poorly. They may even begin resorting to toxic behaviors themselves.
The reality is that any company can suffer from toxic behavior — it is not a rare occurrence. In fact, one out of four employees worldwide has experienced toxic behavior at work. Toxic behavior is so prevalent because it’s often a consequence of common workplace flights that plague companies of every industry and size — such as high stress, poor job training, and lackluster communication. Let’s take a closer look at these causes.
In order to proactively prevent toxic behaviors at work, it’s important to keep in mind that they are frequently the outgrowth of typical workplace challenges. Staying vigilant against these challenges is the first step in maintaining a healthy company culture and staving off toxic behaviors. Some causes of toxic behaviors include:
1) High levels of stress
Employees that are under constant pressure are likely to become more reactive, less perceptive, and less capable of managing their behavior. In an interview with the McKinsey Health Institute, Tessa West (author of Jerks at Work and Professor of Psychology at New York University) explains that “when people are too stressed, it throws off their ability to accurately read situations and regulate their behaviors.”
We also know that companies with higher levels of innovation have higher rates of employee resignation — and the reason for this is that typically, innovative companies are more fast-paced and expect employees to work more hours. The result is higher stress, which not only leads to burnout but can also foster a toxic work environment.
2) Lack of training
Insufficient on-the-job training can inadvertently breed workplace toxicity. Employees who haven’t been properly trained for their roles are likely to feel unconfident, unsupported, and overwhelmed by ambiguous expectations and mounting pressures. They may ultimately become resentful and disengaged, which can lead to conflicts and toxic behaviors.
3) Poor communication
When employees feel disconnected from decision-making processes and lack clear communication channels, misunderstandings and conflicts can arise. Employees may feel unheard, undervalued, or underappreciated, leading to toxic coping mechanisms and frustration. Inadequate communication can also give rise to rumors and speculation that harm team dynamics.
4) Ineffective leadership
In the absence of explicit policies and accountability measures, toxic behaviors can persist unchecked — creating a permissive environment for negative conduct. Poor leadership may also promote a culture that allows employees to avoid responsibility or even place blame on others. Additionally, poorly managed teams are likely to experience a breakdown in trust and decreased morale.
5) Harmful or unclear values
Workplaces that value harmful work characteristics such as cutthroat competition, growing profits at all costs, and elitism are likely to ultimately develop toxic cultures. In a quest to uphold such values, employees will start to engage in toxic behaviors.
It’s not just negative workplace values that harm morale, however — nonexistent or poorly articulated values can also give rise to toxic behaviors. When employees are unsure of the organization’s core values, they’re likely to have confusion about what constitutes acceptable behavior and how they should respond to ethical dilemmas.
6) Personality disorders
Although toxic behaviors can be exhibited by anyone experiencing stress or confusion in the workplace, sometimes they are caused by a personality disorder such as narcissism or antisocial personality disorder. Of course, one should not assume that a coworker who is exhibiting toxic behavior has a personality disorder, as that is often not the case. Nevertheless, it’s important for HR managers to determine the root cause of toxic behavior as different causes require different solutions.
Toxic behavior can be curbed more easily and effectively when HR leadership intervenes promptly. HR teams and company leadership should be attuned to common toxic traits so that they can quickly start working with the individual to address the problem. Common signs exhibited by toxic employees include:
When these behaviors are noticed, it’s typically a sign of one or more major issues in company or team dynamics, communication, or culture. We will later discuss how these various causes can be addressed.
If an employee starts to demonstrate toxic behaviors, it’s important to determine if it’s an isolated incident or part of a larger problem.
A study by researchers in Uzbekistan, South Korea, and China found that when managers engage in toxic behavior — such as yelling, demeaning, and bullying — employees tend to silence themselves. They no longer feel safe to speak their minds and share new ideas, so they simply stop speaking up.
The consequences of this workplace silence are tremendous. Work environments in which employees feel silenced are severely lacking in psychological safety, and as a result, employee productivity and innovation are greatly stifled. Employees have worse well-being, higher levels of stress, and lower performance.
Toxic management must be addressed as quickly as possible before it begins to alter the entire workplace culture and foster harmful business outcomes. In addition to the signs listed above for employees, toxic managers typically exhibit the following red flags:
Toxic behaviors pose a monumental challenge for employees, managers, and entire companies. And while it’s ideal to prevent toxic behaviors, they cannot be eliminated. Because of the prevalence of toxic workplace behaviors, it’s necessary for HR teams to know how to address toxicity if and when it does occur. Here are some practical steps for HR leaders to take when dealing with a toxic employee:
Building a healthy, psychologically safe culture is key to keeping toxicity at bay – and it’s much less stressful than having to resolve toxic behaviors once they occur.
Environments that value open communication, leadership development, well-being, and inclusion are much less likely to struggle with toxic behaviors. Let’s take a closer look at some strategies for fostering a positive workplace environment and preventing toxic behaviors:
1) Make it easy for employees to provide feedback
Employees should feel empowered and safe to share their input on their work experience and to report any misconduct. In an environment where misconduct can be easily reported and employee feedback is valued, it’s much less likely that toxic behavior will go unnoticed. Be sure to set up an easy-to-access reporting system where employees can report on issues such as:
2) Check in frequently and sincerely with employees
Managers and team leads should be encouraged to maintain open communication with employees. Doing so not only ensures that issues are picked up on earlier, but also helps everyone to feel seen, heard, and appreciated.
When checking in with employees, managers should make sure to ask specific questions that could reveal potential challenges, fears, or anxieties faced by the employer. This enables the manager to provide support as needed and to address any concerns before they escalate.
3) Provide effective leadership training
Emotional intelligence, humility, and empathy are important traits for leaders — but they don’t always come naturally. Leadership training can help managers understand the impact of their actions, recognize potential misuse of power, and understand how to foster positive team interactions.
4) Communicate company values and purpose
Everyone wants to feel like they are making a difference, and this holds true for the workplace as well. Employees should be familiar with their organization’s unique mission and know how they play a unique role in accomplishing this mission. When checking in with employees, managers should ask individuals if they feel a sense of purpose, and if not, how this could be improved.
Shared values also must be effectively communicated to employees. When company values are well-defined and articulated, employees have a common understanding of expected behavior and feel part of a larger purpose.
5) Prioritize well-being and stress management
It’s in employers’ best interest to reduce stress levels among workers, as high stress is one of the top causes of toxic behavior. To minimize stress, companies should consider offering employee well-being programs and incentives as well as stress management courses that help employees learn how to cope with stress in healthy ways.
6) Offer conflict resolution courses
Conflict resolution courses equip employees with skills and techniques to navigate workplace conflict and challenging conversations. Providing these courses is a great way to help employees maintain positive relationships with their colleagues and learn how to solve challenges without resorting to toxic behavior.
7) Develop clear DEI policies
Toxic behavior can often manifest as exclusivity, superiority, racism, and gender inequality. In order to uproot these menacing qualities, it’s important for companies to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. These guidelines help nurture a work environment that values diversity, ensures equitable treatment, and eliminates discriminatory behaviors — characteristics that are directly at odds with toxic traits.
8) Facilitate employee recognition
Employee recognition programs are a great way to foster a supportive culture, reinforce positive behavior, and improve morale. When employees are acknowledged for their efforts, they’re much more likely to be confident, collaborative, and productive — and less likely to resort to toxic behaviors.
When implementing a rewards and recognition program, be sure that it includes peer-to-peer recognition and manager recognition. Both managers and employees should be encouraged to praise colleagues, as this helps build a culture of positivity and teamwork.
If you are looking for a new platform for employee rewards and recognition, make sure it includes the ability to screen for offensive or inappropriate messages and hide them automatically. This will allow interpersonal conflicts or awkward situations not to turn into a “public domain” and keep the virtual public space clean.
Tackling toxic behaviors in the workplace is no small feat. Oftentimes, it requires major changes to be made to the company culture or processes.
If you’re dealing with the consequences of toxic behavior within your company, know that WorkProud is here to help. Our HR consultants will partner with you to assess your culture and drive meaningful change management initiatives.
Plus, our mobile-first employee recognition platform will make it much easier to promote instant praise and positive feedback within your workplace.
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