Soothsayer: Beware the ides of March. Caesar: What man is that? Brutus: A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March. Julius Caesar Act 1, scene 2, 15-19
This week’s blog was inspired by high school English teachers everywhere and Shakespeare’s tragedy, Julius Caesar. Those words spoken centuries ago have come to signify the coming of a fateful day and what happens when you fail to recognize things happening right under your nose. Well, to keep your business out of danger and allow your employees to perform at their best, we suggest you take a few minutes to reflect on the atmosphere of your work environment.
In today’s ever-changing workplace environment, stress is a common occurrence. No matter how hard you try to avoid it, it has a tendency to creep in and take up permanent residence. And, once stress has decided to stay, it can quickly multiply and produce a toxic environment. Things like cooperation, productivity, and loyalty begin to disappear and are replaced with aggression, idleness, and dishonesty. The end result for your business is crumbling performance, financial loss, and the loss of loyalty of your best employees.
No business owner wants to see what has been painstakingly built crumble before their eyes, but how can you tell if your workplace is breeding toxins?
Below are few signs that may help you identify if there is a potential problem arising:
1. Low Employee Morale
- Have you noticed increased absences from work among employees?
- Have you heard a lot of complaints?
- Have you witnessed conflicts between employees?
- Has turnover become commonplace?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, it could be an indication that employees are unhappy with work. Remember, context matters and there may be valid reasons for some of these occurring - it is your job to find out what’s happening, why, and address the issue immediately with an open mind and a lot of understanding. Sometimes the problem can resolve itself; however, oftentimes not doing anything results in the problem getting bigger.
2. Immature Behaviors
- Lack of empathy and support for co-workers
- Unreasonable or unrealistic demands
- Failure to follow directions
- Intimidates others
- Refusal to be part of the team
- Scapegoating
- Gossiping
- Denying responsibility for actions
- Highly critical of others
- Holding grudges against coworkers
3. Hypocritical or Insincere Communication
- Not listening or paying attention when others are speaking
- Belittling individuals when they ask for clarification
- Raises voice excessively so others listen
- Tends to speak in jargon (intending to confuse instead of communicate clearly)
- Uses sarcasm
- Only speaks when being critical of others or praising self
4. Dysfunctional Relationships and Bonds
- Cliques
- No feeling of unification in office
- The feeling of “them against me” seems to be more persuasive
- Creating scapegoats out of co-workers
- Unable to resolve conflicts reasonably
5. Bullying Behavior
- Lack of authenticity that is eroding trust, confidence, and innovation in others
- Predatory
- Craves control in all situations
- Disruptive
- Lacks morals & refrains from ethical actions
- Cynical in discussions
- Tends to brag about their successes in everything when most do not exist
- Multiple-faced personality, able to work things from every angle to benefit self. Able to play all sides against each other to manipulate for own purpose.
Taking these signs seriously, remaining alert to subtle changes in the workplace, and keeping the lines of communication open are the best weapons of defense to keep toxicity in check. Address, assess, evaluate situations head on, and be willing to listen to what others are saying. Not addressing the problem ensures trust will be lost and frustration will fester, making it harder to detoxify.
Remember, had Caesar taken the words of the Soothsayer more seriously, the conspiracy may have not resulted in the demise of Caesar. In the simplest form: Learn from Caesar’s mistake!