At a time when the labor market is tight and employers are doing everything they can to attract top talent, company culture is too important to ignore. In fact, nearly 60% of people say their employer is focused on improving company culture, according to data from Comparably. The best companies keep a pulse on their culture through employee sentiment; sites like Comparably, which offer a wealth of information on individual companies and their cultures, can help.
Unfortunately, many companies are struggling to shed the toxic elements that are keeping their culture from thriving.
Here are the signs of a toxic culture, and how to go about improving each one.
1. Leaders spend almost no time developing their employees.
People want to feel like they have the ability to move up; when they’re in a job where they feel they could be doing the same job forever with no room for movement and no one to help them, that’s a recipe for disaster.
Solution: Set up one-on-one meetings with your staff on a quarterly basis. You don’t need to prepare a formal review for these sessions — you just want to create a dedicated space and time where employees can voice any concerns and offer new ideas. Employees will feel better knowing you are invested in their continued growth and satisfaction.
2. People feel as if they only know what’s going on in their corner of the company.
One of the most important thing leaders can do is provide opportunities for people within and across different departments to meet face to face. Why? It helps build bonds and relationships that can pay off down the road, and can even lead to unexpected collaborations. When people feel siloed at work, company culture declines.
Solution: The best antidote is to schedule regular company-wide meetings over a meal. Why a meal? Sharing a meal is a bonding experience. It creates a sense of togetherness that’s essential to company culture, and gives employees some quality facetime with one another. That last part is particularly important: 85% of people say they look forward to interacting with their co-workers, according to data compiled by Comparably.
3. Leaders don’t deal with culture detractors.
There’s nothing worse than when employees continually get away with bad behavior — it speaks volumes about the leadership and disincentivizes employees to perform at their best.
Solution: One toxic employee can have massive repercussions for an office. If there’s someone on the team who has a nasty attitude or horrible work ethic and hasn’t improved despite performance discussions, it’s time to let that person go. In cases like these, firing someone will help — not hurt — morale.
Related: What to Do If You Hate Your Boss
4. There’s no team spirit.
With many of us spending the majority of our waking hours at work, it’s important that we feel connected to our team. In offices where there’s no team-building potential, that’s a problem.
Solution: If you want people to work more collaboratively during the work day, your best bet is to structure team-building events that are mission-based. Big corporations have been doing this forever, calling in five-star generals or improv troupes to engage employees in new activities, but the opportunities for startups and other fast-growing companies are just as plentiful: you might send your team out to do a rope course or scavenger hunt, or have them do something simple like a mental puzzle. When you take people out of their typical day-to-day, and ask them to solve puzzles together in a non-work environment, it’s not only refreshing, but creates a real bonding effect. Aim to do this two to three times a year.
5. There’s a lot of distrust and animosity between colleagues.
Workplaces where back-stabbing, jealous and micromanaging behavior is prevalent is a major sign of a toxic workplace.
Solution: Encourage your team to be kinder to one another by encouraging gratitude. One system is to give out gifts to your team members that they then have to share with their coworkers when for a job well done. When someone gives a gift, he has to verbalize why — “You really helped me out with that project last week and I appreciate it.” Collaboration and gratitude are keys for a healthy culture.
6. Praise is rare/criticism is public.
Feedback isn’t just about what’s said, but how often it’s given. When praise is rare, employees feel like their hard work is being overlooked. But the venue counts, too — leaders who criticize people publicly are contributing to a negative culture.
Solution: When someone is doing an awesome job, praise them in front of the team. Not only will that person find it nice to be recognized, but your public statement will send a message that the company values good work. That sort of message is contagious: in hearing someone praised out loud, other team members will ask themselves what they need to do to win the same acknowledgement.
On the flipside, be careful about criticizing team members in public. Group settings are magnifiers, so any negative feedback should be shared privately.
