9 Red Flags of a Toxic Workplace Culture

The fate of an organization often rests squarely on the shoulders of the employees who work there. If the employees are dissatisfied, it can affect employee morale, productivity, turnover, and more. It can then directly impact customer service and satisfaction levels. Clearly, any employer would be well served to ensure that the organizational culture promotes the company’s vision and creates an environment that is conducive to achieving the company goals.

One major problem found in some workplaces today is a toxic working environment in which the team no longer feels satisfied or happy to work there, and it can, in the worst cases, even spiral into major problems from which the company may take months or years to recover.

Here are nine red flags to watch out for when looking to identify a toxic working environment before it escalates beyond control:

1. Employees do not demonstrate teamwork and instead compete with one another for resources or refuse to cooperate. This can also manifest as employees taking credit for the work of others or even actively sabotaging the work of colleagues in an effort to look better in comparison.
2. Managers do not take the time to recognize the efforts of employees, leading employees to feel unappreciated and diminishing employee morale.
3. The organization does not communicate well (or often) with employees. This can lead to speculation among employees about what is going on with the organization, especially if there are any rumors of problems, layoffs, or mergers. Speculation can breed fear and resentment.
4. There are inconsistencies in the way different employees are treated. This can manifest as different managers having inconsistencies in enforcement of the organization’s policies, which will come across as unfair or disparate treatment between groups.
5. Unethical or illegal activities are being requested, conducted, or tolerated. Examples might include asking employees to falsify documents, shred/delete files that should be kept, or even try to short or overcharge customers. Or it might be in the form of intentional mistreatment of employees (asking for off-the-clock work, harassment, etc.)
6. The environment is one of high stress and high burnout levels. This might come from overly demanding managers, high turnover, or possibly from too little training, which can lead to inefficiencies). It could be the result of an environment in which managers and coworkers do not have good working relationships.
7. There is a general feeling promoted by those in charge that employees should feel fortunate to work there, even without having the accompanying work/life balance and benefits that would be commensurate with a great workplace. This type of sentiment from management can quickly build resentment among employees if the working conditions are not such that the employees themselves actually do feel fortunate to have a place in the organization.
8. Instances of workplace violence or other safety issues occur. This can be a sign of a toxic working environment that breeds and tolerates high stress levels and problematic behavior. Or it can be a situation in which people do not care enough to observe safety rules. It can also be an issue of misplaced incentives (such as promoting speed over safety). No matter the cause, this type of environment does not lead to happy employees.
9. Problem employees are kept on board too long. This is a problem in and of itself, as a problem employee can cause issues for others. He or she may cause missed deadlines, frustrated customers, or even safety issues. But this situation can also lead to a drop in morale among all other employees who don’t feel as though their concerns are being heard or that their safety is being valued.

What should you do if you suspect that the organization’s culture is becoming toxic? There are actually several things that the HR team can do to help to reverse the situation—though none of them are a quick fix. Start by assessing the root causes, and start to see what solutions might make the most sense, whether that’s better training for the management staff, better communication (or hiring communication professionals), increased staffing to better distribute workloads, better documentation and discipline of problematic employees, letting go of bad managers, or perhaps more consistent implementation of existing policies (or creation of new policies).

What other red flags have you seen that can quickly escalate into a toxic work environment?