Six hidden signs of a negative culture
Having the right culture is pivotal to the success of a business. Yet creating a culture where employees feel that they belong can often be one of the hardest tasks.
The impact of a negative culture in an organisation is insidious - causing a ripple effect in many areas of business. These effects trickle down affecting employee retention rates, sick days, an inability to attract new talent, and brand reputation.
That’s why it’s important to proactively look for the hidden signs of a negative culture - because often when things seem too good to be true, they probably are.
Here, we look at six hidden signs of a negative culture that you’ll want to be on the lookout for.
1. Lack of complaints
Yes, you read that right - a lack of complaints can be a sign that all isn’t well.
If there are no complaints in an organisation it could mean that there is a fear of the repercussions. This fear can silence people and protect those who are at fault thus contributing to a toxic work environment where employees are reluctant to call out bad behaviour. Positive and healthy work environments will have some complaints as no one is perfect but everyone feels safe enough to address negative behaviours, that’s why we champion open and inclusive work cultures where everyone is empowered to challenge.
Recently a client told us a story about a new hire they made. Within the first month of the individual joining, there was an overseas trip to another office. At the end of his trip, three different people made complaints of harassment about the new hire. When he returned to his home office he went through an investigation and his employment was terminated.
Importantly each of those three people felt comfortable and supported enough to make the complaint, confident it would be taken seriously. And it was. The organisation followed through and protected those individuals. The psychological contract between the employees and the employer was upheld.
Sometimes bad things happen - no person is perfect and no organisational culture is perfect either. If your HR department or senior managers aren’t hearing any complaints, ever, of poor behaviour there is a good chance it’s because people don’t feel safe enough to voice them.
2. Everyone is really nice
Having support and camaraderie at work is important for psychological safety. It helps you feel like you belong, that you’re connected. But if everyone in the business appears to get on brilliantly with little to no strife, there should be a flashing alarm going off!
When everyone gets along well it can be really hard to have a good culture of feedback. Who wants to give constructive feedback to their best friends? But with a lack of feedback comes a lack of improvement. The possibility of resentment builds and silos are likely to form. If you’ve identified this you may also notice the next sign...
3. There are no arguments
Perfect harmony isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It leads to a pretty well known psychological phenomenon known as ‘groupthink’. Groupthink has been blamed for several catastrophic historical events like the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the Iraqi War and the 2008 financial crisis… so it’s best to avoid it.
Groupthink occurs when everyone thinks alike, there’s a lack of diversity and the group focuses on cohesion rather than good decision making. This leads the group members to ignore or dismiss alternative perspectives. Even if someone spots an issue they are less likely to challenge the others because they don’t want to upset the status quo.
Positive relationships are essential. They have been shown to be the most important factor in resilience, but that includes some collaborative challenges. The ability to focus on the best decision rather than the easiest, and have difficult conversations free from personal animosity is essential.
4. You only ever see the finished work product
Employees who shut themselves away and finish work with little to no input might sound like a dream but there are some risks. This way of working puts a lot of pressure on one person to get every piece of work right on their own. We all miss things occasionally and having different perspectives on the same piece of work can highlight ideas one person alone might not have come up with.
How often do you get requests from your colleagues or those you manage to have a look at a work in progress or give some feedback on a rough draft? Sharing work before it’s perfect and openly asking for feedback shows trust. It shows that people feel safe opening themselves up to criticism and believe they’ll get something constructive in return. If people aren’t doing that, especially with important or complex work, you might have an issue.
5. People ask for feedback on everything, all the time
Now as much as you want a culture of open, transparent working you don’t want everyone sharing everything all the time either - that suggests a fear of getting it wrong, an effort to mitigate any and all mistakes.
There’s a balance to be found - people need to know that they are trusted to get on with things but that they can also ask for feedback and share works in progress safe in the knowledge they’ll get a constructive response.
6. People don’t take all their holiday allowance
For managers and senior leaders, this might seem great initially. Over the last couple of years, companies which implemented unlimited holiday allowance policies have publicly highlighted that holiday uptake has actually reduced as a result of the new policy.
This isn’t a good thing - for two reasons. Firstly, people like a holiday, so if they aren’t taking their allowance there is a reason and it’s likely to be based in fear. Unrealistic work expectations and workload from employers can place employees in a position of fear. Fear of having too much work, fear of colleagues not covering their role while they’re away, fear of being seen as a slacker. Fear is never a good thing in an organisation - and it certainly doesn't lead to motivated, engaged employees.
Secondly, if they aren’t taking their annual leave, there is a higher chance they are going to be suffering psychologically, which then impacts an employee’s ability to be innovative. We need downtime, time to focus on something totally different and see friends and family. All these things make us better at our jobs, smarter and more motivated.
Conclusion
So when it comes to analysing the culture of a business, it’s important to be aware of both the typical bad signs, as well as those that are seemingly good but may be hiding problems. Often, when psychological safety is lacking within a culture, it means employees don’t feel comfortable enough, or safe enough to voice concerns and opinions or challenge the status quo.
Strong workplace cultures are built on psychological safety. Where employees feel that they belong; and feedback is given, shared and listened to. If you’re seeing any of the signs above in your business, it’s probably time to re-evaluate your internal culture.
Is your businesses’ culture exhibiting some of the signs above? We’re here to help! Speak to our team today and we’ll help you create a truly inclusive culture.