6th March 2025
Over the last six months, unsatisfied employees have become proactive.
Rather than putting up with unsuitable work environments, the UK’s labour force are applying elsewhere. According to a press release by PwC, almost a quarter of the country’s workforce is expected to change jobs in the next 12 months.
Why?
Although there are many reasons that employees leave their jobs, toxic work culture is one of the biggest. Of the LinkedIn respondents who quit their jobs last year, 35.7% left due to a negative work environment. A further 28.9% quit because of unhappiness with their manager or supervisor.
For a business owner, these statistics are concerning.
With over 900,000 unfilled positions on the UK job market, there are plenty of opportunities for employees to jump ship if they aren’t happy. This could leave your organisation in a dangerous position, forcing remaining team members to work overtime and make up the difference. Soon, they’ll also be stressed and tired – resulting in a poor work-life balance (another leading factor of resignations).
It might come as a surprise to you, but business owners and top-end managers have a lot of influence over their work environment.
Employees mimic their leaders. By setting boundaries and behaving appropriately yourself, you will have a wide impact on your organisation. We recommend maintaining a polite but friendly relationship with your employees, verbally recognising achievements, and facilitating team bonding.
Every workplace should have a clear set of guidelines like an Employee Handbook. This will successfully establish rules from the get-go, outlining appropriate employee behaviour in and around the office.
Larger businesses are bound to experience miscommunication between different operational departments. The cause? Misunderstanding.
By providing opportunities for your employees to get to know each other, they can start to see each other as people – showing compassion and care during difficult times as opposed to making accusations.
If and when an incident occurs, your employees need somewhere to turn. There should always be an obvious chain of command that allows them to seek help and support, one unaffected by bias. This will reduce gossip around the workplace, allowing matters to be resolved quickly.
When an organisation’s team is well-designed and talent is onboarded to cover weakness, business can thrive. To reduce the likelihood of a toxic work culture forming, you need to be smart with your recruitment and empower your personnel. Without previous HR experience, it can be difficult to find a perfect match. Luckily, Ross Clifford & Associates can help. This is where we excel.