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You may think there’s a toxic atmosphere at your job, and chances are your company’s management feels the same way.
Recent Businessolver SurveyFifty-two percent of CEOs said their workplace culture is toxic. This is a 10 percentage point increase from 2023 and notably higher than the nearly one in three employees who said their workplace has a toxic culture.
According to Businessolver, a company that develops employee benefits management technology, the findings on workplace toxicity are significant because people who say their company culture is not helpful are 47% more likely to report suffering from mental health issues.
But wait a minute: CEOs who believe they’re at the apex of a bad culture for you seem like they’re in a position to fix the problem. Right?
But Ray Shanahan, chief strategy officer at Businessolver, told Business Insider that company leaders often underestimate the influence managers can have on their teams.
She said toxicity in organizations is driven by fear, and efforts to reduce those feelings must start from the top.
“CEOs can’t solve the problems, but they can set the stage,” Shanahan said.
Younger workers in particular may be looking to their leaders to act: 65% of Gen Zers surveyed said they have mental health issues, compared with just 38% of Baby Boomers.
CEOs are also in trouble
Businessolver also found that many business leaders are struggling with their own mental health issues, with 55% saying they had suffered from mental health issues in the past year, up 24 percentage points.
These challenges have not necessarily translated into a change in how people with mental health concerns are perceived within organisations.
Among all survey respondents, CEOs were the most likely to acknowledge that their companies view people with mental health issues as “weak” or a “burden.” Nearly eight in 10 CEOs said this was their company’s view, while 72% of HR professionals and roughly two-thirds of employees agreed.
Shanahan said some CEOs may believe that showing empathy makes them look weak and that they cannot both serve shareholder needs and drive the business while also working to foster a more positive environment within the company.
“When we talk about empathy, some people feel like they’re being naive and not being able to hold the other person accountable,” she says.
The survey was conducted between mid-February and early March among approximately 3,100 U.S. workers, including approximately 400 CEOs.
How to address the issue
Shanahan said one approach that may help companies better understand their culture is to treat employees like customers. Having a UX team in place that designs products and services can provide greater insight into how an organization behaves with its employees, she said.
For example, you may need to take a closer look at what happens when employees join your company: What types of communications are they receiving? Are they receiving conflicting messages?
Beyond that, solutions might also include looking at what employees say helps their mental health: Nearly nine in 10 employees said measures like flexible working hours, open-door policies and encouraging time away from work are important to boosting their mental health.
“If there are some high achievers, let’s treat them as exceptions, but let’s treat the vast majority as adults, juggling work and home life,” Shanahan said.