Detoxify your business

IS your business toxic? What, not even a tiny bit toxic? Of course not.

A toxic work environment is one where people find it difficult to work because of a negative atmosphere created by co-workers, supervisors or the company culture. But you devote a lot of time and effort to see that your employees are, from top to bottom, happy and content. Indeed, last year you gave them an extra bonus as the business had recovered quickly and well from the effects of the pandemic. “Money counts”, you murmured to yourself as you cancelled the last round of work reviews in order to hurry home to a well-earned break.

But… once you are congratulating yourself on your management culture and style, your business is toxic.

Are all organisations toxic?

All businesses, all organisations are toxic to some extent. They employ people and people are seldom all good. In fact if you find one that is perfect, look more closely. Something’s probably going out uncharged.

Cynical? A bit, perhaps. I do know people who devote themselves unstintingly to their work, who are as honest as the day is long and who have delightful personalities. They are rare. For the most part, our human foibles are visible and active long after the work day is over. I actually find it easier to deal with the less than perfect. They know how to control their imperfections better than those who think they have none.

Why are so many people unhappy? Why do humans blame their work for their misery? Why do many find themselves lacking in confidence, bereft of enthusiasm, tempted to opt out? The answer to this is another question. What do you think is the purpose of your life and the lives of those who work with you? To be happy, of course. It is not new but the turmoil caused by the pandemic has changed its status. Whereas it was once thought to be somewhat sinful to be happy - many of the churches taught that - it is now accepted as both a desirable and an achievable objective. It has been moving that way ever since the end of WWII. The pandemic precipitated it. For may be the first time in humankind’s history we are collectively now saying that our purpose in life is happiness.

When were you the happiest?

An easy and obvious conclusion, perhaps, but then we proceed to make terrible mistakes about what will achieve this state of bliss. The moment in my life when I was happiest was at night as we were bringing the harvest home in 1950. I was nearly 19 years old. I was finishing work, still on my tractor but driving towards the farmhouse. There was a full moon and you could see all the stars. I was exhausted. I had worked since six in the morning. As I drove across the fields I got a sense of achievement at a level I have never quite experienced since.

Physical exhaustion is often very rewarding. Mental exhaustion can be the opposite. It seems that the combination of ”doing while thinking” is the best recipe for work satisfaction.

Now we see droves of people quitting perfectly good jobs, often without a replacement to go to. The pandemic rightly made governments and managements open the coffers and dish out a lot of financial help. There was no knowing where the sickness was going to lead and debt yields cash today, leaving the repayment for later - and almost always for others.

But the original fear had been disaster for the economy and frightening sickness for the population. As the former was mitigated by handouts and the latter drifted, somewhat erratically, away, everyone felt more optimistic - only, alas, for a brief period. They had tasted the freedom of working from home, of setting their own agendas, of being unavailable on Zoom if it was inconvenient. The taste of freedom was illusory and the terrifying inflation that is following it is at least as big a burden as would have been much smaller handouts and a better management of Covid 19.

The muddle all this has caused has been compounded by the Ukrainian war, the climate crisis and such a conviction that WWIII has already started that many more than usual are now living for the day. This means increased toxicity added to already toxic management. What can you do about it?

What matters most?

First be sure you want to do it. It is hard work and it demands a change of culture at the top. By that I don’t mean the Department Managers, I mean the CEO. Most CEOs are intelligent and know how to pivot their own behaviour once they see the need. The key change they have to make is to reflect the fact that what matters in their business is the people who do the work.

Whether right or wrong, your employees now expect a lot more of your time and attention to make their lives agreeable and less tortuous. There is only one way to do this - care for them. That doesn’t mean mollycoddling or spoiling them. Put yourself in a position where they know how much you care for them and they will understand matters over which you must be strict - safety, health, sustainability. Provided you make sure your authority is intact, all will be well.

Having become clear about your objective - to care for and show care for your employees - plan the time you will devote to doing this. Half an hour may seem long in your calendar; it is a remarkably short time for your employees. This is a rare example of ‘more means better’. Time is the only thing you really have to give. More money is as often considered insulting as beneficial.

So the next step in detoxifying is getting rid of all the pointless, meaningless, time-consuming meetings you feel obliged to attend. They are mostly ritual, occasionally communicative - which could be done much more efficiently by email. You are the boss. If you want to talk to someone about a decision you have to make, talk to them. Don’t call a meeting and waste a lot of people’s time.

How can you communicate clearly?

Then prioritise your reports and other staff. Start at the top. The senior people are the most vulnerable in what you are about to do. They have been used to a pattern of management which is about to change. They need to be involved, enthusiastic and supportive.

Again, don’t call a meeting. Listen to each of them. Demonstrate your new approach to getting employees to feel participative, to have their points of view and to be able to speak up. Ask them challenging questions about how this affects their management behaviour. If there are one or two who find it difficult either to speak up or to accept your ideas, take them to lunch or dinner, individually. Ask them to tell you how to run the business. They will soon accept your new way of doing so.

Depending on the size of your organisation, delegate repeating the same message down the line but be sure to do a series of spot checks yourself that it is being successfully relayed. When ICI employed about 200,000 people, the management decided to improve the pension scheme. They printed 200,000 leaflets describing the new scheme. Ten years later, when they had a big clearout, they found all but 20 of the leaflets neatly stacked in a cupboard. During your spot checks ask questions designed to find out what the staff members you are going to talk to understand as the consequences of your new management system.

What exactly is the system?

So what is that system, exactly? It is a system whereby the management cares for you and you care for the company. Ask your employees for examples they can think of that demonstrate this caring. Tell them that they will have more say over what they do and will contribute more to improving how they do it.

Don’t talk about teams, talk about individuals. Build the individual up. They will probably work as part of a team but they will remain an individual always. You need to let them know that you understand that. As Anita Sethi said in her book I Belong Here (2021): “Can you imagine a blade of grass having low self-esteem, being made to hate its colour or shape? Despite being so literally trodden upon, it is so sure of itself, so confident in its skin. Be more like grass growing, I think.” That’s how you want your employees.

The writer is founder and chair at Terrific Mentors International