How Fit is Your Culture?

How do you know if your Culture is Unhealthy?

In an unhealthy culture, Senior Leaders and Managers are usually in the dark when it comes to how their employees view their company’s culture. When asked for feedback on what it is like to work there, employees will generally say, “I’m loving it, it’s a great place to work,” or “I am really getting the support I need to develop and grow,” all whilst they are spending every second of the day creating their escape plan. So how do you know if you have an unhealthy culture?

Here are 6 signs you need to look out for:

Poor Communication- Clarity and communication are critical for any company. If leaders don’t regularly cascade information down to employees about the direction of the company and business performance, it could result in employees becoming disengaged. You could see an increase in office politics, and it could cause employees to feel a lack of job security, which increases paranoia.  

Lack of Overall Leadership - While some of us, unfortunately, have endured a bad manager at one time throughout our careers, having a bad manager is not nearly as damaging to a company as a lack of overall leadership. If you work for a company that has a high executive turnover, signs point to an unstable future with conflicting messaging.

Unhealthy Competition - When it comes to achieving objectives or increasing productivity, competition can be amazing! Unfortunately, if this turns into an unfriendly competition it can begin to drive wedges between employees. By all means, implementing incentive schemes such as ‘Value Champion of the Month’ or ‘Top Sales for the Quarter’ can ensure your employees do their best work. But when the competition gets too competitive, things can turn south, fast.

Fear of Judgment – Employees do not speak up even when they are presented with impossible goals, outrageous plans or silly ideas they are expected to implement because they fear being judged. They say nothing, but later on, they moan to their peers about the silly ideas and unattainable goals.

High Turnover - Employees’ aren't even hitting the six-month mark yet are executing their escape plan to the next company. This is the biggest sign of an unhealthy culture. If you notice this is a regular occurrence, ask them why they are moving on when they haven’t been in their current role for very long.

Gossiping - One of the signs of unhealthy company culture is when the office is filled with all sorts of gossip. Gossip comes from the individuals who have the largest, yet most fragile, egos and who feel the greatest threat to their job security, self-esteem, popularity or status. Gossiping, in general, is something that nobody should be doing. Even if it is not malicious, it diminished the organisation’s culture over time.

If you identify with any of the above signs, unfortunately, your company culture is most likely unhealthy. It doesn’t mean that you give up. Now that you have identified this, it’s time to make positive changes towards a better work culture.