Do you like your job? Be honest. What do you like about it? What’s not working for you? Do you enjoy the (probably online) environment? Do you trust your colleagues? The reason I ask is because I care about your mental health and well-being, and I know what it’s like to work at a job that I hate. We spend approximately one-third of our lives at work, and the type of work environment makes a huge difference to whether we enjoy our jobs or not.
Identify Your Work Environment
Another word for work environment is culture, which is a buzzword that gets thrown around frequently to talk about how fun a workplace is. In the not-so-distant past, culture was often discussed along with the mention of foosball tables, happy hour in the beer garden, and yoga on the roof. In COVID-19 times, all those perks have fallen away, and what’s left is a company’s true culture, which is how people think and relate to one another.
Culture is important because a “robust culture sees companies through the bad times, while adversity further destabilizes shaky foundations,” according to Quartz writer Cassie Werber. If your work culture is solid, you’ll be able to weather any storm. If it’s not, well, things will be more challenging.
So what is culture exactly? At LUMAN, we define it as “the way we do things around here.” Culture is most easily observed as a set of normalized behaviors and they start at the top. The way the C-suite relates to their administrative staff through verbal and non-verbal communication and behavior is how the administrative staff will relate to their team members and so on.
Is Your Workplace Culture Toxic?
It’s not very hard to know when you don’t like your job, but it can be difficult to identify why you don’t like your job. Examples of toxic behaviors at work are gossiping, not acknowledging what’s really there (for instance, pretending not to be annoyed), discounting (“No, your idea won’t work”), pitting people against one another, secrecy in general, and constantly moving targets. Below are some basic questions to get you thinking about your own workplace culture.
Safety
Do you feel safe enough to take personal risks, make mistakes, ask for help, and bring up problems?
Clear Communication
Do you feel heard and understood when you bring up conflicting ideas? Do people try to resolve conflict through email? Is there a process for clearing broken agreements?
Kindness and Empathy
How do people respond when you’re having a rough day? Do you generally feel supported and understood?
Personal Development
Are you encouraged to pursue educational and training experiences?
What You Can Do About It?
If you experience any of the toxic behaviors I mentioned above, you’re not alone. They show up in our organizations because they show up in our personal lives. As I’ve written about before, you bring your personal life to work, which is very normal and unavoidable.
When we’re working with a client, we sometimes have the opportunity to shed light on toxic behaviors. It’s not to shame anybody, but to help people recognize, actions have impact on those around you, and you have a choice in how you behave. The purpose of our company is to transform companies and the world by unleashing the human capacity to create. LUMAN stands for “humans with the lights on,” which means we uncover what’s not working so that the team can transform toxic or misaligned behaviors in service to their greater personal and company purpose.
We don’t single out “problem people,” just problem behaviors, which fortunately can be redirected. So how does a toxic workplace culture change? Below are some ways to take ownership of making change happen.
Change starts with you.
You are the foundation through which change happens. And making changes takes a lot of effort and energy, so be prepared! Stay fed, hydrated, and nourished while also calming your mind. If you’re in a destabilized state mentally or emotionally, you won’t be resourced enough to change anything because you’ll be in fight, flight, or freeze mode. This is an opportunity to slow down, take pause, breathe, and get back on the track you choose to be on.
Recognize your actions have impact.
You have a choice in how you behave. Toxicity stops when you take a stand for a different set of behaviors. Determine how you’re relating to other people. If you want respect, treat others with respect (first by co-defining what respect means). If you want others to be punctual, show up on time. If that’s a problem for you, ask for help! Acknowledge that you have trouble arriving on time and ask your colleagues for support. You might be surprised by their response (in a good way).
Remember, people are not bad, behaviors are bad
And those “bad” behaviors, those negative thoughts and judgments exist within every one of us. Having empathy for ourselves and others allows for compassion and understanding. That space is what makes room for change.
Know what is important to you and how you contribute to that purpose.
When you’re stuck in the muck, it’s helpful to zoom out a bit and get some perspective. Recognize the larger impact of your actions not only in terms of your role at work, but also the organization as a whole. What is your organization trying to achieve? Are you contributing to that purpose or not? When we’re able to maintain perspective, it helps us become less triggered (for the most part). It reminds us there are more important things in life, and at work, than whether or not our Zoom video is working today. Surprise technology crashes suck of course, feel annoyed about it, but also remember it’s not the end of the world and don’t take it out on yourself or your people.
To sum up, if you’re interested in bringing awareness (and change) to your company’s culture, here are some questions to ask yourself:
Q1: How am I showing up to work everyday? Am I hydrated, fed, nourished? Am I put together? What’s my emotional state? Do I have an easy start to the day or a stressful start?
Q2: How is my communication? Am I ignoring a difficult email? Am I being short-tempered with a teammate?
Q3: Do I know the purpose of my role? Am I clear on the purpose of the organization? How do I feel about my role in the purpose of the organization? Do I like my job? Why or why not?
And remember, you are not alone and we’re here to help. Schedule your exploratory call today or send us a message below.
