Toxic Workplace Causes

 

Summary

 

In Drew Fortin's article, "Toxic Work Environments: 15 Factors That Create a Toxic Workplace," he identifies and discusses key factors contributing to workplace toxicity. His insights provide valuable guidance for addressing these challenges effectively.

In Drew's (2023) research, he highlights a concerning statistic for a company BLS: "Their average employee's tenure drops from 4.2 years to 2.8 years, specifically for millennials, the largest workforce generation. This underscores that employees are quick to leave toxic workplaces, especially high performers."

Additionally, in "Why Every Leader Needs to Worry About Toxic Culture" by Sull, D, et al. (2023), the authors stress the importance of addressing root causes of toxicity using data-driven analysis and a granular approach. The author emphasizes that ignoring these issues can result in disengagement, high turnover, and reputational damage, posing significant risks to organizations.

 

In the first article, workplace toxicity root causes include a lack of defined core values, ineffective communication, process misalignment, resistance to change, neglect of individual needs, poor management, poor fit recognition, resistance to organizational changes, and lack of employee's trust and open communication to others.

In the second article, five toxic culture attributes are disrespect, noninclusivity, unethical behavior, cutthroat attitudes, and abusive management. Inclusivity issues have the most significant negative impact on employee perception, lowering an organization's overall culture rating when mentioned in reviews.

Similarities: Both highlight the importance of firm core values aligned with processes and leadership's role in fostering a healthy workplace culture. They recognize the adverse effects of disrespect and unethical behavior, such as attrition and damaging business reputation.

Differences: The first article emphasizes the significance of organization’s core values in shaping culture and offers general insights into root causes. The second article uses extensive data and analysis to pinpoint specific toxic culture attributes, especially the impact of abusive management and negative behaviors.

How does this topic relates to me?

Researching the factors that contribute to toxic workplace environments is a subject of personal interest to me. Beyond my general curiosity about the topic, I have a strong desire to delve deeper into understanding how toxicity originates and the specific elements that contribute to it. I tend to be an analytical thinker and often find myself making assumptions about why certain workplace dynamics occur. By conducting research supported by evidence, I aim to gain a deeper understanding of the connections between these factors and real-world situations. This approach allows me to have greater confidence in my observations and ensures that I'm not simply speculating or attributing causes incorrectly, potentially leading to better-informed decisions and actions in addressing workplace issues.

References

Sull, D., Sull C., Cipolli, W., & Brighenti, C. (2022, March 16). Why every leader needs to worry about toxic culture. MIT Sloan Management Review. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/why-every-leader-needs-to-worry-about-toxic-culture/

 Fortin, D. (2023, August 25). Toxic work environments: 15 factors that create a toxic workplace. The Predictive Index. https://www.predictiveindex.com/blog/toxic-work-environments-15-signs-of-workplace-toxicity/