In a recent article, Engagés spoke to Marie-Hélène Chèvrefils, founder of Evō Conseils, to learn more about the notion of toxic environments. Candidates were able to better understand the symptoms, causes and effects, as well as the solutions available to them. We invite you to go and read it before continuing your reading here.
(Go ahead, we’re waiting for you.)
Let’s now look at toxic environments from the employer’s point of view, who bears a large share of the responsibility. Yes, we’re talking about responsibility here, and a legal one at that: every employer is legally bound to promote a safe and healthy working environment that protects the physical and psychological integrity of employees. They must also put a stop to any form of harassment brought to their attention.
How do you know if you offer a toxic work environment?
As we’ve seen, there are many and varied indicators of a toxic work environment. Far be it from us to enumerate them once again (read the first article in our series, we told you!). However, we’ll take the liberty of repeating the following: a single symptom can be enough to diagnose a toxic work environment. In short, the severity and frequency of a problematic event must be taken into account when analyzing a harassment situation. It should be noted that a single high-intensity event can be considered harassment.
As an employer, you can’t satisfy yourself with the fact that only one negative comment has been made or a single complaint brought to your attention to reassure you that your work environment is performing well overall. In other words, every situation that arises, no matter how small, must be taken into consideration.
Tips
1 – Listen
Listen to your team and the issues they bring to your attention.
To do this, you need to set up several channels, so that information can be channeled in different ways, depending on what suits each individual.
- For example, you can:
- prominently display the contact details of the person or department responsible for complaints;
- organize regular retention interviews with your team, i.e. meetings where you invite your resources to express their wishes, make their needs known, discuss their working conditions and take stock of their career development1;
- invite your team to anonymously complete a survey on their working environment.
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1 Definition inspired by the Grand dictionnaire terminologique
2 – Be open
Have an open attitude. You have to make your team want to confide in you, whether what they have to say is positive or not.
- As an employer, you can:
- systematically set aside a time during recurring meetings to share good and bad news (a problem that is caught early is easier to deal with and is likely to be resolved before it becomes too intense);
- clearly invite your team to share any problems with you, for example by reminding them by e-mail of the various channels available to them;
- welcome any comments with calm and a genuine desire to understand.
3 – Work on prevention
Last but not least, don’t wait for problems!
As the old saying goes “better safe than sorry”, so do everything in your power to provide a healthy work climate, period.
With this in mind, Ms. Chèvrefils recommends that employers put their organization under the microscope for any potential areas of toxic behavior, and identify any areas for improvement.
- For example, you can:
- ask yourself about your organizational culture. How does your organization value good behavior? How is leadership exercised within your walls? What are the expectations of employees – are they clear, realistic, relevant?
- let the numbers do the talking. What is the employee turnover rate? the percentage of the workforce on sick leave? the absenteeism rate? These data allow you to infer how well or how poorly your team is working;
- lead by example. Be the leader who demonstrates transparency, empathy, benevolence, flexibility and a concern for fairness, since a sense of fairness is essential to developing and maintaining your team’s commitment. Question management practices and aim for continuous improvement.
Finally, have a workplace well-being policy at best, if not an anti-harassment policy at the very least. This is a legal obligation for any employer with two or more resources.
When goodwill isn’t enough
Sometimes, a professional climate can be so rotten that you need to call in an expert to cure it. As an employer, don’t take this as proof of your failure. On the contrary, it’s to your credit that you’re doing everything you can to resolve the situation. Ultimately, the happiness of your team and the well-being of your organization are at stake.
“The expert who helps employers clean up their workplaces has the advantage of arriving with complete objectivity and the seal of confidentiality. When employees’ distrust is gradually eroded, the real problems can come to the surface, and we can get into solution mode,” explains Ms. Chèvrefils.
Why take action?
Because the effects of a toxic work environment are wide-ranging and perverse!
- In addition to the terrible after-effects on employees, the impact on the organization or the loss of earnings can be significant:
- When an employee leaves your organization, they take with them everything you’ve invested in training and knowledge transfer. This represents a potential loss equivalent to 50% to 200% of their salary;
- 20% to 35% of mobilized team members will make an extra discretionary effort (such as working a little harder one evening to better prepare for an important meeting the next day). A toxic work climate doesn’t allow you to take advantage of such commitment;
- Employee turnover rates drop by 60% to 80% in a highly engaging work environment, significantly reducing the expense associated with talent acquisition.
Finally, consider that a happily-employed team will be far more inclined to better support the people at the heart of your NPO’s mission.