Is your team toxic? Warning signs and strategies for leaders
If you manage a team, you’re probably already aware of the benefits of having a positive culture in the workplace, but recent changes to health and safety laws now mean creating a supportive work environment is more than just a nice-to-have.
WorkSafe states that New Zealand employers have a legal obligation to manage psychosocial hazards in the workplace. This involves identifying and assessing the risks, and then eliminating or minimising them as far as is reasonably practicable.
What is toxic behaviour?
When it comes to toxic behaviour, or a psychosocial hazard, WorkSafe says it’s “the combination of the likelihood of occurrence of exposure to work-related hazard(s) of a psychosocial nature and the severity of injury and ill-health that can be caused by these hazards.”
Common psychosocial hazards include:
Job demands
Low job control
Poor support
Lack of role clarity
Poor organisational change management
Inadequate reward and recognition
Poor organisational justice
Traumatic events or material
Remote or isolated work
Poor physical environment
Violence and aggression
Bullying
Harassment, including sexual and gender-based harassment
Conflict or poor workplace relationships and interactions
How common is toxic behaviour in teams?
Research for SEEK has found that over half of New Zealanders (63%) have found themselves in a toxic workplace at some point in their career, but only 56% reported that behaviour.
But, perhaps most troubling, is that of those that did report the behaviour, 56% said nothing was ever done about it. That’s something that needs to change, says Brigit Steindl, senior consultant with The HR People.
“It’s really about people and how their behaviour impacts on each other,” she says. “A lot of research has come out over the last decade showing that our work and our workplace can have a significant impact on our mental health.”
Why should we address a toxic team culture?
Aside from it being against the law, senior consultant psychologist at Transitioning Well Dr Elizabeth Clancy, says a toxic team culture can also have a significant impact on organisational productivity, company culture, morale, and reputation.
“It can lead to decreased employee engagement, increased turnover rates, and a negative work culture that reduces creativity, customer service, and problem solving, as workers focus on survival,” she says.
“From a psychological perspective, a toxic team can create a stressful and unhealthy environment for employees, leading to decreased job satisfaction and potential mental health issues, as well as increased absenteeism, presenteeism, and workers compensation claims.”
Research for SEEK found that almost half (39%) of New Zealanders reported leaving their job because of toxicity, 44% said they had taken time off to deal with the fallout of an unhealthy workplace, and an overwhelming majority (89%) said they would be discouraged from applying for a job if they had heard the employer had a toxic work environment.
What are the signs that there is toxic behaviour in your team?
Toxic behaviour within teams can be difficult to spot, but there are telltale signs, says Steindl.
“It might show up as people being unwilling to put their hand up and contribute,” she says. “Or you might find an increase in employees accessing sick leave, people walking out the door right on time all the time, people not wanting to go to social events, or just generally not engaging.
“Sometimes it’s just that someone isn’t acting like themselves, which is why in training we talk about the importance of getting to know your team.”
How do you manage toxic behaviour in your team?
A proactive approach can be helpful in addressing toxic behaviour within a team,” says Dr Clancy.
She suggests:
Open communication: “Fostering open and honest communication within the team to address issues directly.”
Conflict resolution: “Implementing effective conflict resolution strategies to address disagreements and misunderstandings.”
Team-building activities: “Promoting positive team dynamics through team-building exercises and activities.”
Leadership training: “Providing leadership coaching and training to equip managers with the skills to create a positive and supportive work environment.”
How do you protect yourself and your team from toxic behaviour?
As a leader, it’s up to you to manage the culture of your team, and to be proactive in your approach, says Dr Clancy.
“Managers can proactively protect themselves and their teams from toxic behaviour by identifying and naming poor behaviours, establishing clear boundaries with harmful individuals, documenting instances of unhealthy workplace behaviours for future reference, seeking support from HR, supervisors, or mentors, and advocating for positive change within the organisation,” she says.
“Communication, clarity and consistency are really important too,” adds Steindl, “because to establish a healthy workplace culture, your team needs to know that you’ve got their back, and they need to know the standards you expect from them.
“If you take action sometimes, or just when some people rock the boat but not others, that won’t work. You need to have clear boundaries, people need to know what they are, and you need to police them constantly.”
Where can you go for support as a manager?
If you’re struggling with a toxic culture in your team, Steindl suggests talking to your line manager or your HR department as a first port of call.
“The new psychosocial safety laws mean that every manager should care about the psychosocial safety of their employees,” she says. “If they don’t, that’s a real red flag.”
What do you do if there is no support?
“If that doesn’t work, or you don’t have an internal HR department, approaching an external HR consultant can help, or even talking with peers inside or outside your organisation, who can provide a sounding board and offer their experiences and thoughts,” says Steindl.
Dr Clancy agrees that it’s important for managers to keep pushing to prioritise that positive workplace culture in their teams.
“As a workplace psychologist, I believe creating a positive and supportive work environment is essential for all parties – it helps to support organisational success through providing opportunities for creativity, innovation, and high performance, supports customer service and excellence in performance, and supports employees' wellbeing,” she says.
“By addressing toxic behaviour effectively, managers can help to prevent further damage and create a healthier and more successful workplace.”
Source: Independent research conducted by Nature of behalf of SEEK, interviewing 4,000 New Zealanders annually.