The Costs of a Toxic Work Environment
Who has worked in a toxic environment?
I remember one of my former bosses and cringe. My boss would scream at us, call us derogatory names, throw things at us behind a closed door, repeatedly require us to fetch coffee or lunch while announcing to witnesses that “I would normally never ask you to do that.”
Did that inspire us? No. Did that create loyalty? No.
What did it do? Caused humiliation, anxiety, lack of confidence, lack of productivity, sick days, and eventual resignation.
Do you have toxic employees? Are you sure?
How’s your morale? Are your employees inspired to give their all? Do they speak positively about their work environment? Are you sure?
A “respectful workplace” is not just a buzz term full of fluff. Even if toxic behavior isn’t bad enough to be illegal – which can cost an employer HUGE in many ways – it can have significant costs for an employer:
Decreased performance
Lost productivity from worrying about the bullying
Lost productivity from avoiding the bully
Sick days/leaves of absence from the physical and mental effects of bullying
Higher turnover
Potential loss of clients due to lower quality of work or bad PR
According to a September 25, 2019 report from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), “The High Cost of a Toxic Workplace Culture,” turnover because of the workplace culture alone cost employers $223 BILLION in the prior five years.
The costs of a toxic environment are not insignificant. Can you afford them?
Do you and your managers know how to create and maintain a respectful workplace?