The BBC was recently back in the news for the publication of its workplace review, as recently commented on by HRZone.
It seems every other week we read about high-profile organisations doing yet another culture assessment or being exposed for some flavour of toxic culture – be it sexist, racist, ageist, bullying, unethical, corrupt or any other cocktail.
Why are we seeing so many examples of poor workplace culture?
Poor workplace cultures have always existed but, historically, people have tended to accept them as ‘just the way it is’, or feared the consequences of speaking up.
Times are changing, especially with younger generations entering the workplace. Employee expectations have risen, but many organisations are still playing catch up on the behaviours and ways of working their employees believe acceptable.
At the heart of these bad culture stories are missed opportunities for conversations and actions that may have prevented the seeds from taking root.
The key message here is that doing nothing should not be an option – inertia leads to toxicity taking root and becoming normalised.
What is the role and responsibility of business leaders in this?
Whether you are an executive or non-executive director of a company, there are 10 things that you must do or ensure are done to keep your culture healthy:
1. Spell out the behaviours you want to see at work (and those you do not)
Make sure that a simple, relevant description of acceptable behaviour is documented and understood.
Most organisations do this in some form, but it varies wildly in terms of usefulness and depth of understanding. Just putting it on the intranet is not enough!
2. Train leaders and managers to know how to recognise and call out unacceptable behaviour
Again, the quality of existing approaches on this range dramatically. Some organisations offer weeks of in-depth induction and immersion in values and principles, while others provide short online learning programmes. Your training needs to include dialogue to tease out the nuances and potential grey areas of understanding and assumptions. Don’t go ‘tick box’.
3. Make sure people feel safe to call out poor behaviour
For employees to call out poor behaviour they need to know they will be thanked, not blamed. Raising such issues should be possible in day-to-day conversations, through giving feedback and raising awareness of someone’s impact (versus their intention). If there is a whistleblowing or grievance process, make sure it is transparent, confidential and easy to use.
4. Role model the desired behaviours in the way you talk and work with others
Culture is largely influenced by the behaviour of leaders, so you are the benchmark. Set high standards and regularly encourage others to call you out if you could be doing better. Give them details of how best to approach this.
5. Gather data and follow your instinct
Anonymous surveys provide data that helps identify issues and where they are happening. Our feelings also tell us something, so use your emotional intelligence to guide you in shaping them into rational thoughts. But remember to conduct further investigation to check if your gut feeling is right.
6. Ask open questions and actively listen to what people say
Just one person expressing concern or behaving in a way that is unusual should pique your curiosity. Watch out for the trap of making assumptions or justifying things away – stay curious and open.
7. You have identified an issue, now work out how you will address it
Firstly, if you haven’t already, speak to your HR specialists. In my experience, highly competent and experienced HR practitioners know the rules and have dealt with this stuff before.
WARNING: this is not the same as outsourcing responsibility to HR. Why? Because you will miss the opportunity to learn and embed your desired culture through your behaviour. HR’s role is to enable you as a senior leader to take responsibility and be as confident as possible.
You may face difficult personal challenges here – it could be that you need to speak to a fellow director, it may be someone you have worked with for years, it maybe a close friend of even a family member.
Okay, so you have made a plan with HR but are still apprehensive about this. What if the person freaks out when I raise the concern? What if they blame or implicate others? Or me? What if we haven’t got our facts straight? What if they go and get their own lawyer to argue the case?
Any or all of these things might happen. You can’t control what others feel, think or do. All you can control is what you feel, think and do in relation to your own values and principles. Doing nothing is not a healthy option – for you or the culture. Keep moving forward on the front foot.
No one said it would be easy or neat and tidy. This is a key part of your role as a leader, where you really earn your money. It is your responsibility to see it through to the right outcome.
8. Have the conversations and go the distance
Make it about the organisational values and principles. Focus on behaviour and impact, avoiding any judgement or character slurs. Follow the process and implement the agreed actions.
9. Offer support if needed
Changing behaviour and habits is tough and often needs work at the mindset level to address blind spots, beliefs and biases. Keep asking the question – is behaviour changing as required?
10. Close it down and complete
Reflect and capture your learnings, documenting any outcomes and next actions. It’s key to share positive stories of addressing poor behaviour, to build confidence in others that it’s the right thing to do. Anonymise any employee examples and share stories about changing your own behaviour in response to feedback.
Inertia is what leads to toxicity
The key message here is that doing nothing should not be an option – inertia leads to toxicity taking root and becoming normalised.
Following these 10 steps will help ensure that your organisational culture stays healthy and out of the news.
If you’re looking for more guidance on behaviour change, this roadmap, crafted by Culture Pioneers and Pecan Partnership, outlines a framework for changing your workplace culture in 100 days.
Culture Pioneers is a campaign proudly powered by HRZone. We are on a mission to both support organisations driving impactful culture change, and commend those who are leading forward and challenging the status quo at work.
Our campaign provides expert guidance and insights, while celebrating workplace cultures that drive real business impact. The best businesses don’t just adapt; they shape the future.
