Word Count: 1,546 Estimated Read Time: 65 Min.

At the end of 2022, LinkedIn did a survey that found that almost 70% of Gen Z and Millennial Americans said they planned to leave their jobs in 2023.  These results were reconfirmed by another survey conducted in February 2023 by CBS.  That study found that 75% of respondents planned to look for a new job over the next 12 months, up from 65% in 2022.  So, while some pundits have said that the so-called ‘Big Quit’ is tapering, that’s not what actual employees are saying.  There are still many workers wanting to change jobs, if they haven’t done so already. 

But Turnover Rate varies widely from state to state and even more so from company to company.  Many factors play a role in turnover.  Salary.  Benefits.  Flexibility.  Meaningful work.  Visionary leadership.  Opportunities for advancement.  But, consistently, one major factor that is specifically leading workers to yank the ripcord and bail from their jobs is toxic workplace culture and toxic leadership. 

In Mastering Civility:  A Manifesto for the Workplace, Christine Porath said “A toxic workplace is one where fear, intimidation, and bullying are the norm. It’s a place where people are afraid to speak up for themselves or their ideas, and where they’re constantly walking on eggshells.”  It also includes unfair or discriminatory practices, blatant favoritism, sarcasm, veiled insults, and back-stabbing behaviors.

Porath knows a thing or two about toxic workplaces and how to create a culture of caring.   A professor, researcher, speaker and author, she is on a crusade to make the world a better (work)place.  Porath — a tenured professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, McKinsey Quarterly, and Washington Post — frequently writes, delivers talks, and has taught in various Executive programs at Harvard, Georgetown, and USC on the topics of improving workplace civility and community while ending bad behaviors at work.  In her 2018 Harvard Business Review article, Porath indicated that “In a survey by Georgetown University of nearly 20,000 employees worldwide, respondents ranked respect as the most important leadership behavior. Yet employees were reporting more disrespectful and uncivil behavior each year.”  That has only gotten worse in recent years. 

After looking at a lot of data and conducting many studies, Porath reached the conclusion that creating a culture of caring at work improves the bottom line.  In a TED Talk viewed 3.6 million times, titled Why being respectful to your coworkers is good for business, she argued that incivility affected performance and the bottom line.  In one survey, business school alumni working in all different organizations were asked to write a few sentences about one experience where they were treated rudely, disrespectfully, belittlingly or insensitively, and to answer questions about how they reacted.  The responses included major affronts such as yelling and ripping work product publicly as well as lesser offenses such as veiled insults and snide remarks.  The worst was when the organization’s leadership was disrespectful to the staff.  Not surprisingly, the survey revealed that incivility made employees less motivated:  66% of respondents cut back on their work effort; 80% lost time worrying about what happened; and 12% left their job. 

They also found that not only did toxic workplace behavior impact productivity, it was also contagious.  According to Porath, “Incivility is a bug. It’s contagious, and we become carriers of it just by being around it. This isn’t confined to the workplace. We can catch this virus anywhere — at home, online, and in our communities. It affects our emotions, our motivation, our performance and how we treat others. It even affects our attention and can take some of our brainpower. And this happens not only if we experience incivility or witness it but also even when we just see or read rude words.”  Porath’s team concluded that toxic people create more toxic people.  And this causes, among other things, workplace turnover to rise.

Porath is not alone in addressing the issue of how workplace behaviors affect productivity and retention.  Renowned author and speaker Brene Brown said “Toxic workplaces are breeding grounds for negativity and gossip. They’re places where people are constantly tearing each other down, and where it’s impossible to feel safe or supported.”  And Michelle McQuaid said that for workers “A toxic workplace can have a devastating impact on physical and mental health. It can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, and even physical illness.”  

What constitutes toxic boss or workplace?  Most leaders think that toxic behaviors are always in-your-face loud, obvious and can’t be missed.  But, often, the worst toxic bosses are experts at hiding bad behaviors.  It often takes place after hours, behind closed doors, or through nonverbal forms of communication, such as emails, text messages and even silent actions that have big consequences.  There is no comprehensive list, but here are some of the most commonly mentioned types of bad workplace behaviors.

• Bullying and harassment: This includes verbal abuse, threats (which are often related to assignments, promotions, and opportunities), intimidation, sarcasm, irony/mockery, and assault.
• Micromanagement: This is when a manager closely watches and controls every aspect of an employee’s work, even if the employee is capable and experienced. It can be stressful and demoralizing.
• Gaslighting:  This is when a manager manipulates an employee into questioning his own perceptions of reality, such as his own ability, skill and work quality. It can be disorienting and isolating.
• Scapegoating: This is when a manager blames an employee for mistakes that are not her fault. It can lead her to feel resentful and distrustful of management.
• Unfairness: This includes favoritism, discrimination, and unequal treatment of employees. It can create a sense of injustice and resentment among the team.  Even those who are favored recognize when others are treated unfairly.
• Lack of accountability: This is when a manager doesn’t take responsibility for mistakes or a failure to lead.  Direct reports feel like they are not valued or respected.

What is the Opposite of a Toxic Workplace?

The best way to prevent an organization from being or becoming a toxic workplace and minimize turnover is to hire and retain managers who are fair, equitable and kind even as they hold people accountable and to hire staff who are respectful and considerate to others.  Hiring people with the right skills and abilities is important but ensuring that they also have a good attitude toward everyone – not just their supervisors – should be the organization’s goal.  With the right people on board, an organization can foster a positive setting where people feel safe, supported, and valued.   This type of environment encourages employees to be themselves and to give their best work.  The characteristics of a positive and caring workplace include:

• Respect: Everyone is treated with respect, regardless of their position or title.  But that works both ways; up and down.  Where there are power and status differences – such as a partner at a law firm or a General Contractor on a job site — there should be respect for the experience, tenure, knowledge, and achievements of those at a higher level. 
• Communication: Dialogue is encouraged, open and honest. People feel comfortable speaking up and sharing their ideas.
• Collaboration: Staff work together to achieve common goals. There is a sense of team spirit and cooperation.
• Trust: Employees trust each other to do their jobs well. They feel confident that their colleagues will have their backs.
• Learning: People are encouraged to learn and grow. There are opportunities for professional development and training.
• Balance: People have a good work-life balance. They are able to focus on their work without sacrificing their personal lives.
• Fairness:  Each individual is given the same opportunity to do important and meaningful work and every voice is heard and matters.  Favoritism, nepotism, cronyism and any other ism that elevates some people over others for reasons other than merit are not tolerated.

A positive workplace is a place where people can thrive. It’s a place where people feel happy, productive, and glad to be doing the work that they are doing.

Creating a Culture of Care

According to Ken Blanchard, “The best way to retain employees is to create a workplace where they feel valued, respected, and appreciated.”  Here are some tips for creating a positive workplace:

• Hire and retain managers who are fair, equitable and kind even as they hold people accountable.
• Set clear expectations. Make sure everyone knows what is expected of them.
• Provide regular feedback. Let people know how they are doing and how they can improve.
• Take moments every day to smile and be cordial to people nearby.
• Celebrate successes. Take the time to recognize and celebrate people’s accomplishments.
• Encourage open communication. Create a culture where people feel comfortable speaking up and sharing their ideas.
• Resolve conflict quickly. Don’t let problems fester. Address them head-on and find a solution that works for everyone.
• Promote diversity and inclusion. Create a workplace where everyone feels welcome and valued.
• Ensure that employees are getting enough rest and self-care, even in high stress jobs.  Lack of sleep and nutrition will make people behave in ways that are more abrupt and less civil and kind.

Next week, we will look at how performance reviews and stay interviews are assisting in creating a culture of caring and reducing turnover.  Stay tuned.

Quote of the Week

“The best way to predict the future is to create it. If you want to have a low-turnover workplace, you need to start by creating a caring workplace.”
Simon Sinek

© 2023, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.