Is Your Workplace a Toxic Environment? (How to determine if it is and what to do about it)

Over the years as a productivity consultant, I’ve witnessed dozens of toxic workplace environments and had conversations with hundreds of employees about their negative office situations. In most cases, the business owner or CEO didn’t even know there was a problem, or had grown so accustomed to the ‘setting’ – that they were now immune and disconnected to the negativity inside their own office.

Negativity can suck the air out of a work environment, and leave behind a place of low energy, ineffective employees, distrust, disinterest and unproductive work.

As a business owner or executive, it is your job to make sure your staff has a positive work environment. (Yes, YOUR job!) If the employees dread having to come to work because of a negative manager, constant negativity in the office, ongoing insubordination or other damaging activities – you’re going to have unhappy employees who can easily translate that attitude and emotion to your clients, patients and/or vendors.

There’s nothing better for your company than to be a well-oiled machine where the employees are happy, the communication is open, the energy is high and toxic people are removed from the equation. How do you know if you might have a toxic environment brewing? Here are a few questions to explore:

• Are your employees happy?
• Are they doing what they are passionate about?
• Are they passionate about what they are doing?
• Are they giving you their best work?
• What is their reality on a daily basis?
• How would you rate the communication in your office?
• What is the energy like in your office?
• Is there anyone that is ‘toxic’ in your environment?

As you know, it’s critical to the success and profitability of your company to keep good people. You don’t want to lose your best people to a competing business, and many times – your best people will JUMP SHIP to escape an unhealthy, negative and otherwise nasty workplace. Your goal should be for every member of your staff to be able to lay their head down at night and ‘shut off’ their mind without anxiety of coming into the office the next morning – every morning. You can’t grow a strong, flourishing business when you have a constant negative environment or toxic manager (or employees) suffocating the health and energy of the office.

What can you do differently as a leader to improve the energy in your office? What can you ask of your staff to do differently to improve the energy in the office?

Move with momentum, and take action today to a healthier and happier workplace!

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Wendy Ellin is a Productivity Consultant, Speaker, Trainer & Author. Contact wendy@wendyellin.com for info about developing an organizational system, improving communication & increasing the productivity at your company or association.