Business

What are the signs of toxic workplace culture? How does toxic work culture affect your employee’s performance and willingness to collaborate? Toxic workplace culture is a breeding ground for the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol stifles the release of oxytocin, the neurochemical which fosters empathy and trust. When employees lack empathy and trust toward one another, they’re much less likely to collaborate, seeing each other as competitors and threats to their own success. Here’s how a lack of empathy creates a toxic workplace culture.

Are your employees unwilling to collaborate? What can you, as a leader do, to encourage collaboration in your organization? The key to fostering collaboration in your organization is to nurture a higher purpose. When you and your subordinates are devoted to fulfilling this kind of purpose, the possibility that you’ll fail to do so becomes enough of a threat to encourage collaboration and strengthen the supportive environment. Here’s how having a higher purpose unites teams.

Do you feel like your organization has a supportive work environment? What can you, as a leader, do to cultivate a supportive work culture in your organization? In a supportive work environment, employees feel that you see them as people, rather than mere assets to increase profits. In his book Leaders Eat Last, management theorist Simon Sinek suggests three strategies to strengthen your supportive environment and encourage trust and collaboration. Let’s explore Sinek’s strategies for cultivating a supportive environment in the workplace.