How Leaders Should Handle a Toxic Workplace

In a toxic workplace, dysfunction and drama rule, whether due to a narcissistic leader, resentful employees, or a lack of structure.

Such a hostile environment forces you into a fight or flight response, which prevents you from accomplishing your best work. This type of environment can be harmful to your health as well as your morale.

According to Stanford and Harvard University studies, health concerns caused by a toxic work environment include hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and poor mental health, which can lead to deadly illnesses.

To combat such conditions, you must first understand what you're looking for.

7 types of toxic workers in the office

According to Tessa West, a social psychologist at New York University in the United States, there are seven types of toxic persons in workplaces, regardless of profession:

The Kick-Downer/Kiss-Up. They will use whatever means necessary to climb to the top, including sabotaging others. Their bosses adore them since they are high performers.
The Gaslighter. They are the most toxic because they lie to mislead on a massive scale. They first isolate their victims and then gradually construct a false reality that serves their desires.
The Credit Thief. Credit thieves are wolves dressed as sheep. They may appear to be your buddies, but if your idea is excellent enough to steal, they will betray your trust.
The Bulldozer. They are experienced, well-connected professionals who aren't hesitant to flex their muscles to achieve their goals.
The Micromanager. Micromanagers are taskmasters who are impatient and disregard your personal space and time. If your supervisor is a micromanager, you most likely work the hardest but produce the least.
The Neglectful Leader. Neglectful leaders go through three stages: extended periods of neglect, anxiety from not having a grip on things, and a surge of authority over you to soothe that anxiety.
The Free Rider. Free riders are masters at doing nothing and being compensated for it.

Fixing the toxicity

Another study, comprising 267 health sector professionals in Pakistan, discovered that a toxic workplace environment had a substantial negative connection with work productivity. The researchers suggested that organisations handle the poisonous dilemma so that performance does not deteriorate.

Be positive when dealing with toxic issues since there are numerous ways we can handle them, depending on our ingenuity and capacity to manage them. HR may help identify, evaluate, and remedy the underlying causes of a toxic workplace by performing the following:

Getting to the Bottom of the Problem:

Assess psychological safety.
Ask questions. Determine the root source of the toxic behaviour. Is it a specific person? A department? Or is it more widespread?
Deal with staff to understand their problems, acknowledge them, and identify potential solutions.
Conduct thorough dialogue with all parties engaged in confrontational situations.
Consider if chronically toxic individuals can be coached or motivated or whether they must be terminated for the sake of the organisation.

Understanding and Sharing Laws, Rules, and Guidance:

Understand the rules and legislation governing bullying and discrimination.
Bosses should refer people to the documented company culture and principles.
Call out inappropriate behaviour and explain why it is unacceptable and what you will do to prevent it from happening again.
Examine the incentives that drive behaviour in depth. If these are not in line with business principles, have meaningful discussions with senior management.

Look at the Bright Side:

Remind employees and supervisors of the wondrous things that teams and the organisation accomplish.
Provide incentives for positive actions and conduct.
To rebuild trust, create activities that encourage teamwork in a safe setting.
Identify opportunities to assist employees in remembering how to have fun or enjoy their work.
Encourage a monthly 'mistakes' meeting to let staff understand that it's okay to make mistakes, admit them, and discover the positives in bad situations.
Develop a growth culture instead of a fixed mindset culture.

How Can Employees Help Transform A Toxic Workplace?

It is unfair to expect HR personnel to eliminate a toxic work environment on their own, even though they are much more exposed to its effects due, in part, to the fact that they hear about it from various sources.

Employees in a toxic work environment have the chance and responsibility to change their attitude and behaviour. Employees, for example, can:

Consider conflict to be a good thing.
Communicate with people as if they are human beings.
Consider things from the other person's point of view.
Listen with openness and without judgement.
Don't point the finger. Be inquisitive.
Ask about what they could do differently the next time.

Recognise that anger can sometimes mask fear. Their coworkers may just require assistance or information.

Employers must handle toxic employees openly and firmly, and we must not tolerate their behaviour to undermine people's spirits, aspirations, and ambitions.

The best method to tackle this behaviour is to maintain an open and impartial communication line. Positive and empathetic seniors can also help control and defuse the situation.