In his keynote at the CIPD Annual Conference, the former vice president of Twitter Bruce Daisley singled out the “worst thing about our jobs”. Toxic cultures. The way that poor behaviours just end up being accepted.

All the different forms of bullying and rudeness, pretence and disinterest, a vague sense of having a lack of purpose and not being recognised for the work being done. Daisley’s book, Joy of Work, raises serious questions about what’s happened to modern workplaces. Because toxic cultures don’t seem to be the exception anymore, there’s something more universal about the problems.

90% of Employees Feel Disengaged

One of the findings from his research was that around 90% of employees feel “disengaged” at work. Most described themselves as “disconnected”, “disillusioned” and “overwhelmed” by the demands of their roles. One part of the problem is the cracks in the old employer/employee contract: people no longer believe that their employer will provide them with long-term financial stability. Career flexibility, mobility and ‘empowerment’ has come at a cost in terms of motivation and commitment.

Daisley’s advice to HR is based around renewing employee engagement through social activities, the value of introducing regular gatherings, ideas like “pizza meetings” and “crisps Thursdays”. Fewer, and shorter, work-focused meetings and providing more opportunities for autonomy; ways to encourage better and more meaningful relationships, more connections with each other at work. Having a best friend at work, he argues, is the most reliable predictor of higher levels of job engagement, followed by getting good feedback from a line manager.

Are Social Programmes Enough?

While most HR professionals would agree with the diagnosis of the problem — employees are under pressure from targets, struggle with uncertainties and don’t always feel they belong to a community with a shared purpose anymore — the suggested solutions look like window-dressing. There aren’t many organisations that don’t offer some kind of social programme, social spaces or events. And sometimes it’s the socialising that leads to the worst incidents and problems for relationships.

Toxic Cultures: A Lack of Open Conversations

Toxic cultures are not simply the product of ‘bad management’. Managers have to make the tough decisions. Introducing change can be necessary and it is managers who are in the front line when it comes to pushing through sometimes difficult realities. None of these things mean a working culture is toxic. Niggling concerns and clashes between managers and line reports only become a real problem when there is no conversation. Or at least no open conversation, just resentment eventually spilling over into argument and relationship breakdown.

Grievances and conflict aren’t unhealthy in themselves — they’re often the natural result of bringing diverse groups of people together into teams, and also a signal that people care about their contribution and role at work. Bullying, disengagement and de-motivation happens when there’s no conversation — when the power is all on one side and concerns end up being buried. There’s no conversation because there’s a lack of trust in the organisation, the people and the wider culture, which is a huge problem.

Building a ‘Clear Air’ Culture

Organisations should be aiming to have a ‘Clear Air’ culture. This is what happens when employees have enough confidence in their organisation (and each other) to speak up and know that they will be listened to, and understood in the right way. This only comes with the right skills and the right informal channels.

So, the option of mediation for early interventions and not as a last resort; a habit of open conversations, both scheduled and unscheduled, along with the qualities needed to make them ‘good’ conversations, whether they involve challenges and difficult situations or not: listening skills, empathy and self-awareness; all those things that make the difference between knee-jerk irritation and assumptions and constructive, grown-up ways forward.

This positive cycle is built on good conversations, at all levels and in all situations — as the lifeblood of a workplace, where trust and confidence flows — and that means having good skills and processes. Soft skills like listening, empathy, self-awareness and curiosity (and how to use them to deal with more difficult conversations) are increasingly critical in our hybrid, dislocated workplaces. As a backbone of support: access to mediation and neutral assessment as the norm rather than as a response to a potential crisis or collapse in relationships.

Photo by RDNE Stock project