It’s Not You, It’s Bad Company Culture!

 

Sometimes, the hardest part of a person’s job has nothing to do with the tasks they need to complete. Instead, the environment itself creates the biggest challenges.

When the things that are making it harder to remain productive include workplace politics, poor communication, constant turnover, or interpersonal issues among team members, you might not actually be the problem. Instead, the bad company culture is taking everyone down, creating a sinking ship where everyone is simply trying to avoid being sucked under.

If you are wondering whether your company’s culture is harming you or your career, here are some signs it could actually be the problem.

Gossip Reigns

When a workplace is plagued with gossip, even if it isn’t always malicious, it breeds an environment where distrust can thrive. Even in the mildest of cases, employees begin to wonder if they are also a topic of conversation, and that can leave people paranoid and suspicious.

In worst-case scenarios, gossip can quickly turn into bullying and trash talking, both of which are incredibly harmful. And, unless management is prepared to intervene, the culture will suffer until someone chooses to act.

Negativity

While it isn’t uncommon for co-workers to discuss the merits of a particular approach to a task or project, if the tone is always that everyone will inevitably fail, that’s a sign of a toxic environment. Plus, if management also tends to focus on the negative, the situation is even more pervasive, as most workers take their cues from leadership regarding what is an acceptable mentality.

If poor attitudes are incredibly prevalent in your workplace, the culture is likely similarly negative. Over time, this can wear you down. Plus, it makes collaborative duties significantly harder to manage.

Overly Competitive

In some cases, a little friendly competition can actually be motivating. However, if the workplace is competitive to the point where team members will sabotage one another as a means of getting ahead, the environment is toxic.

An overly competitive workplace breeds feelings of distrust. Instead of co-workers banding together to solve problems and help the company thrive, they begin to focus on outdoing each other, and that rarely yields positive results.

If management reinforces this form of competitiveness, that’s an even more troubling sign, as it shows company leaders are willing to pit employees against one another instead of creating a collaborative environment based on group accomplishment.

The Blame Game

When something goes wrong at work, do people take ownership of their mistakes, or do they automatically try to find someone else to blame for what went wrong? If you are in the latter situation, that’s a strong sign of a poor company culture.

While admitting to one’s mistakes is always difficult, being able to do so shows self-awareness and an environment based on accountability. If no one is willing to even humor that they may have made a misstep, then it’s easy to start believing that you can’t rely on anyone, creating additional feelings of distrust.

Ultimately, any of the signs above could indicate that the issue isn’t you, it’s a bad company culture. If you are interested in learning more or are seeking out new opportunities with some of the area’s leading companies, the professionals at The Advance Group can help. Contact us to discuss your ideal workplace today and see how our services can make finding an employer with an excellent company culture easier than ever before.

 

 

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