In today’s fast-paced corporate world, the health of an organisation’s culture is paramount. With rising cases and employee testimonies on struggling in workplaces with poor working environments, the term ‘toxic work culture’ has gained prominence. While the term cannot be exactly defined, it is often identified with a workplace that silently erodes employee morale, stifles innovation, and ultimately harms the company’s reputation.
The 2024 Gallup State of the Global Workplace highlights that only 14 per cent Indian employees feel they are ‘thriving’ at work, with 86 per cent confirmed ‘struggling’ or ‘suffering’.This is a striking contrast to the global ‘thriving’ rate of 34 per cent. As leaders of the industry, we must revive a dying culture by being strategic and empathetic in our approach to addressing the root causes of toxicity and taking proactive measures to nurture a healthy, inclusive, and vibrant workplace for all. Here are a few ways this could be achieved.
Understanding toxicity in the workplace
The first step in addressing a poor workplace culture is to recognize the early signs of toxicity. It is characterized by behaviours and attitudes that undermine the well-being of employees, including poor communication, lack of trust, excessive competition, and unethical practices. These behaviours create a culture of fear, distrust, and high stress, leading to serious physical and mental health issues in employees. If you spot factors like high attrition rates, frequent conflicts, and disengaged employees, these are clear indicators that something is amiss.
The consequences of ignoring a toxic culture can be severe. A 2022 study in the MIT Sloan Management Review identified toxic work cultures as the leading cause of employee attrition, surpassing even job insecurity and lack of recognition. The financial impact is also significant, with high absenteeism and turnover rates affecting the company’s bottom line.
Today’s workforce is a mix of individuals across generations. With the influx of Gen Z and Millennial employees, it has become even more important for organizations to understand, respect and adapt to different work styles, and preferences and encourage flexibility to enable an inclusive, collaborative and engaged working environment. For example, the 'Reverse Mentoring' and 'Shadow and Learn' programs at AtkinsRéalismotivate young employees to directly mentor senior leaders and shadow managers/team leads. This helps them understand the work dynamics and promotes transparency despite the age gap.
Role of leadership
Leadership plays a crucial role in both the development and resolution of a toxic work culture. Leaders set the tone for the organisation, and their behavior is often mirrored by employees. Therefore, leaders need to model the values and behaviours they wish to see in their teams by demonstrating integrity, transparency, and respect in all interactions.
One effective strategy is for leaders to engage in active listening. By genuinely listening to employees’ concerns and feedback, leaders can gain valuable insights into the issues affecting the workplace and make employees feel that their voices are heard and valued.At AtkinsRéalis, we conduct an annual internal ‘VOX’ survey,where our employees get a chance to share their thoughts and voice their concerns anonymously. Over the years, this feedback mechanism has helped us act on the results constructively, make positive changes to the culture and enable a fair and equitable work environment.
As a result, in 2024, we’ve maintained a high employee engagement level of 90 per cent and an involvement rate of 89 per cent on our Culture Index. Moreover, our commitment to listening to our employees and continually improving their work experience has resulted in winning the prestigious Great Place To Work® Certification in India for the past four consecutive years.
Engaging employees across levels and measuring success
Employees are more likely to stay longer with an organization where they feel involved, heard and are appreciated. Organisations must encourage employees to participate in shaping the cultural transformation of the workplace, be transparent about the changes being made and involve them in the decision-making process to help gain their trust and confidence in the company.
Of course, to ensure that the efforts to revive the culture are effective, it is equally important to measure progress. This can be done through regular surveys, feedback sessions, and performance metrics. Key indicators of success include improved employee engagement, higher attrition rates, and increased productivity.
At AtkinsRéalis, our leaders ensure integrating our organisational purpose of ‘engineering a better future for our planet and its people’ into everything they do and convey it meticulously to their team members, thereby promoting a culture where everyone feels one with the organization and its vision. Our 2024 VOX results are an exemplar of our success where 97 per cent of our employees are aligned with what AtkinsRéalis as a company is trying to achieve, 95 per cent feel proud to be working with us and 94 per cent would recommend us as an employer that truly values diversity and inclusion.
Prioritising employee well-being
Employees are the backbone of an organization and encouraging them to maintain a healthy work-life balance adds to the company’s overall growth and productivity. It is easier said than done, but organizations must implement wellness programs that support mental and physical health, normalizing the use of mental health resources and reducing excessive workloads. Proactive initiatives like Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), health insurance that includes mental health coverage, in-house counselling sessions can promote employee well-being and create awareness to have zero tolerance for bullying, harassment, or discrimination. Another great way to ensure employees feel recognized is to appreciate them, motivate them to do better and invest in their professional development.
We have recently launched an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - a free, independent, and confidential resource where highly trained and qualified specialists support our employees, any time, with their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It also helps them understand their role as managers, encourage their team’s wellbeing, spot signs of concerns and resolve them.
Beyond the initiatives, well-being starts with change in mindsets at all levels, starting from the top. AtkinsRéalis’ program - ‘Thrive’ focuses on embedding and sustaining behavioural change within the leadership that encourages leaders to reflect on the consequences of their actions and commit to embracing well-being in all forms within their businesses.
As organisations grow and evolve, maintaining a healthy work culture becomes increasingly important. But if organisations follow and implement these effective strategies, it is easier to transform a toxic work environment into a thriving, positive culture. This will not only benefit employees but also contribute to the long-term success of the organisation.
About the Author: Somnath Bhagavatula, Vice President — Human Resources, APAC, AtkinsRéalis
