Recognizing a Dysfunctional Workplace
Sometimes we find ourselves working for companies that give off the atmosphere of the Twilight Zone each time we enter their buildings. What is it that sets these companies apart from the others? It may take you a while to recognize the characteristics of a dysfunctional workplace but once you do you're then faced with what to do about it.
1) Micro Management: Micro management should be a thing of the past but there are still businesses that operate with the policy of breathing down their workers necks eight hours a day. Hiring policies should be secure enough to make sure genuinely qualified, trustworthy employees are being taken on board, but still the lack of trust in the air is palpable. Unfortunately, driving employees to distraction with micro management only makes them nervous and prone to making mistakes.
There's nothing like working for a place that assumes the worst because usually that's what happens. Workers need to have the freedom to work in a way that's best for them. Often when companies micro manage they literally tell workers every move to make with every task. This results in a frazzled and frightened atmosphere that is more about failure than success.
2) Employee Antagonism: If you work in a company where everyone is rude and snaps at one another, you are in a dysfunctional workplace. No place where people spend eight hours of their day should immerse them in angry, rude behavior. Often this is a reaction to rude disrespectful management that sets a constant tone of antagonism. There will likely be a lot of blame going around for every single problem that arises. This sets up competition and envy among workers that reduces cooperation.
3) Overly Quiet: Employees should be able to conduct casual conversation at work as long as it isn't indulgent and taking time away from work that needs doing. However, some companies hold a tight rein on employee interaction to the extent that an atmosphere like a strict monastery is created. This is dysfunctional and unhealthy. It adds to stress levels because employees are afraid of being caught at something and have to always be on guard.
Not being able to communicate freely negates a team feeling in the workplace. It also creates a general feeling of workers as machines rather than human beings. Your office begins to resemble Ebeneezer Scrooge's counting house rather than a collegial place of business.
4) No One Seems Happy: If everyone at your workplace is miserable and hates their job there is something wrong. We all would rather be basking on a beach in Tahiti rather than sitting at a desk eight hours a day, five days a week, but most of us find ways to deal with the grind and maintain a pleasant demeanor. If a majority of your coworkers are unhappy it means there is a dysfunctional element in your workplace that will ultimately undermine the productivity of the business.
Once you determine your workplace is dysfunctional the next question to tackle is "what to do?" Can things be fixed or is this irreversible? Is the problem so extreme that you will need to resign? The sad truth is that if you aren't on a beach in Tahiti the least you might hope for is a workday that is pleasant, civil, relaxed and cooperative. You will need to weigh the consequences and perhaps come to a difficult decision.
