Tackle ‘toxic work culture’ or lose your best employees
As per a recent ruling by the Delhi High Court, toxic workplace culture and the deaths they cause are social issues that the government, labour unions, businesses, and health experts should address, reported IE.
The former secretary of the Central Board of Irrigation and Power was being heard by Justice Jasmeet Singh on a motion for anticipatory bail after being charged with aiding suicide (section 363) of the Indian Penal Code for failing to respond to emails sent by a former employee who allegedly committed suicide in 2020 as a result of a “toxic work environment.”
According to a recent Sloan Management Review study, toxic work environments are ten times more likely to drive workers to leave their jobs than poor pay or a lack of work-life balance. In other words, nobody is leaving for higher compensation. They are leaving because they feel overworked, undercut, and unloved.
How it impacts
A toxic work culture can make employees feel demotivated, unsupported, and stressed, leading to low job satisfaction, which can drive employees to seek employment elsewhere. This can create a vicious cycle where high turnover rates perpetuate a toxic work culture. This can be especially damaging for companies as it leads to a loss of experienced and skilled employees, and also, the company have to spend extra funds to train new hires.
A toxic work culture can have several negative impacts on a company.
- Low employee morale: Employees who feel mistreated or unsupported may become disengaged and demotivated, leading to poor performance and increased turnover.
- Lack of trust: A toxic work environment can create an atmosphere of mistrust among employees, which can make it difficult to build and maintain effective teams.
- High stress: Negative and unhealthy work environments can create high levels of stress for employees, which can lead to burnout, physical and mental health problems, and absenteeism.
- Difficulty in attracting and retaining talent: Companies with a toxic culture may have difficulty attracting top talent and may experience high turnover rates.
- Reduced productivity: When employees are not happy, they may not be as productive as they could be, which can lead to missed deadlines, lower quality work and increased costs.
- Damage to the company’s reputation: Negative publicity about a company’s toxic culture can damage its reputation and make it difficult to attract customers, partners, and investors.
- Legal issues: A toxic culture can lead to legal issues such as discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination lawsuits.
Overall, it is important for companies to create a positive and supportive work environment in order to foster employee engagement, productivity, and satisfaction. Improving a toxic work culture requires a holistic approach that addresses the underlying issues and promotes positive change.
Improving a toxic work culture takes time and effort, but the benefits to employee engagement, productivity, and overall well-being are well worth it. It’s important to remember that a toxic work culture is not fixed overnight, and it’s a continuous effort from the management and employees to maintain a positive and productive work environment.
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