Running a business is a challenge, no matter what its focus or size may be. The moment that you begin hiring additional employees, new stresses raise their heads for you to confront. One big challenge is toxicity in the workplace, and managing it can be one of the most difficult things for business leaders to do. Here at Technalink, we believe that it’s one more area that can benefit from good spiritual management.
The first thing you’ll need to understand about toxicity in the workplace is that it can come in many forms. Employees who spread rumors, those who may try to reduce morale by talking negatively about leadership, and even those who just show up miserable and seem to never smile or engage with others are all potential sources of a toxic work environment. Knowing how to deal with them from a spiritual management perspective is important, but the first step is always just being able to understand what to look for.
Once you have a basic idea about what kind of toxic behavior is happening, the next step is dealing with it. While some spiritual management approaches use a kind of laid back, relaxed approach, it’s important that you move as quickly as possible to stop toxicity whenever you notice it. It’s contagious, and can quickly make your workplace less productive in a significant way. But what steps can you take? Here are a few tips worth remembering.
- Try to identify the root cause of the toxicity. Does the toxic employee truly hate your leadership or their job that much, or are there underlying problems? Spiritual management means taking a measured approach and trying to understand what is really behind things.
- Immediate termination isn’t usually possible, or even the best step. Every business has protocols that must be followed, and trying to use the right steps to deal with problem employees first is important. However, if an employee is simply impacting your workplace in a dramatic fashion, you should always have the option to terminate employment, though it should be a last resort, except in cases where challenging a baseless job termination is necessary.
- Talk to others in your company. Do they feel the same way? How is the toxic environment impacting them? What do they feel is an appropriate measure to deal with the problem? Listening to employees and using their feedback is a sign of a good leader, and something that they’ll appreciate.
The bottom line is clear – you need to deal with toxicity in the workplace before it festers and overwhelms everything. However, using the right steps to do is important. Take time and try to offer meaningful guidance to those who are the source of the problems. Often you can help them as well as your business, and master the art of spiritual management in the process.
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