Toxic workplaces and leadership behaviors have become pressing concerns in today’s workplace environment and there is no lack of media coverage on this topic, amplified by social media and online platforms. Employees now have powerful tools to share their experiences—both positive and negative—with a vast audience almost instantly.
This newfound transparency means that potential candidates are more discerning, thoroughly screening companies before applying for jobs or accepting offers. For businesses, this shift is a double-edged sword. Companies with positive workplace cultures are overwhelmed with resumes whenever they announce a vacancy, while those with negative reputations struggle to attract and retain talent.
In this blog, we will explore the pervasive issue of toxic workplaces, identify common warning signs, and discuss effective strategies for creating and maintaining a healthy, supportive work environment.
Differentiating between Toxic Workplaces and Wrong Fits
In Season 2 of the Great Place To Work® ASEAN and ANZ podcast, Christian Honegger, CEO of TC Acoustic, emphasizes the importance of differentiating between a truly toxic workplace and a situation where an employee might simply be the wrong fit for a job. A company’s culture and an employee’s strengths and weaknesses determine if they are a good fit for the job. “We really believe that in order to have a great supportive work environment, the culture is everything, culture is more important than rules and codes of conduct because the culture permeates everything in your organization,” he said, sharing that hiring the right people who align with the company’s values is crucial.
Defining and Protecting Company Culture
According to Christian, a company’s culture must be clearly defined and protected. He cites examples of employees resigning over conflicting values and the significant impact of “hiring for skills but firing for character”, for example, when the employee has a different set of values system from the company culture, it can impact the workplace environment and other colleagues. This underscores the importance of HR in selecting candidates who share the same values as the rest of the team.
Building a Healthy Work Culture
Building a healthy work culture involves inclusive leadership, employee empowerment, and effective communication. Christian stresses that leaders should create a safe environment for staff to speak up in meetings by building trust and encouraging participation. Preparing new staff ahead of time and giving them specific tasks can help build their confidence and encourage them to speak up.
Frequent and Open Communication
At TC Acoustic, weekly leadership meetings are held to discuss people and culture, focusing on supporting employees to do their best work. Conducting quarterly surveys to address employee concerns and prioritizing employee satisfaction are also key practices. “Leaders need to invite, include, and involve new hires to feel valued and contribute from day one,” he said. Helping new staff to reframe their minds from proving oneself at work constantly to contributing and feeling empowered from the start is critical.
So how do you tell if you are working in a toxic workplace? From our experience, we have found that these are some common telltale signs to watch out for:
1. Politics and favoritism abound
- Politicking and backstabbing are the norm, and such practices are systematic across the company
- Discrimination happens—this could be due to age, gender, race, sexual orientation, or any other factor
- More significantly, management is aware and does not make any effort to address it
2. Well-being is just a word
- Management views employees as human resources, instead of human beings—interactions revolve exclusively around work deliverables, project deadlines, KPI targets—and there is no real interest in employees’ personal well-being, or what they must sacrifice to perform the work
- Employees do not feel that their role contributes to a bigger purpose, it’s “just a job” and they experience few opportunities for growth and development
- Employees experience constant tension and fear that they will be shouted at, bullied and/or harassed, and there is a lack of physical, psychological and/or emotional safety
3. Working in Grids and Silos
- Starting from the top and cascading down the ranks, invisible (and sometimes quite visible) lines are drawn—information is hoarded, there is low or no cooperation and rapport between individuals and teams, and different functions across the company work in silos.
Conversely, when you are looking for a job (perhaps to escape a toxic workplace if you’ve just ticked off all the points listed above), what should you look out for? We found that companies whose employees trust their management, take pride in their jobs, and enjoy the people they work with, have successfully embedded the following elements in their culture:
1. Fairness
- Employees are treated fairly and with respect, regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, and position in the company
- Everyone has an opportunity to get special recognition—through both formal and informal platforms including everyday thank yous, and special shoutouts from managers and peers
- Office politics and favoritism are directly addressed and nipped in the bud before they have a chance to flourish
2. Care
- Management shows a sincere interest in employees as individuals, not just an employee
- This is demonstrated in a variety of ways, from ensuring that employees have the right resources and equipment to do their jobs, to celebrating special events together, encouraging employees to balance their work and personal lives, and involving people in decisions that affect their jobs or work environment; they also often show appreciation for good work and extra effort
3. Community
- Management and employees express a sense of winning together when times are good, and sticking together when times are tough
- This sense of unity also creates conditions for better employee cooperation
In companies with a great workplace culture, management is the key driver. They are intentional about building the desired culture and strive to cultivate high trust. These companies frequently have a “people” component explicitly articulated in their values—not because people are needed to get the job done, but because they value and prioritize the people who work there. Their values drive day-to-day interactions and behaviors, and when to comes down to the crunch, hard decisions are made with a people-first philosophy.
So, the next time you’re checking social media and online platforms for employee reviews and stories about their workplace experiences, before you apply for a role or accept a job offer, you’ll know what to look out for.
We are proud of our community of Great Place To Work Certified™ companies in the ASEAN and ANZ region—their employees have validated that these workplaces have a healthy, high trust culture, put their people first and care for their holistic well-being. Find out more about our Great Place To Work Certified™ companies:
https://greatplacetowork.co.id/certified-company-list/
