Survey finds only a quarter of workers say their HR department would address toxic behaviour
“New Zealand is sadly renowned for high levels of bullying and toxic behaviour in the workplace.”
So says Jarrod Haar, Professor of Management and Maori Business at Massey University, in discussing the implications of a recent survey.
The report by iHire found that 45.9% of U.S. employees said ‘no’ when asked if they could trust their HR department to address toxic behaviours within their current or most recent workplace.
And the problem also affects workers in New Zealand, Haar said.
“The trouble is it's linked to poor mental health, people quitting their jobs, a lack of productivity. It’s a killer and unfortunately all too common,” he told HRD.
“This happens everywhere, in every industry, no matter where you are. Just because you’re a hybrid worker or you work-from-home, that doesn’t mean you’re less likely to experience toxic behaviour.”
The survey also found that the top reason for a toxic workplace is poor management or leadership – with 78.7% of respondents citing this.
“I think it’s difficult when it comes to bosses being the ones being toxic. Treating one employee one way and another in a different way is an easy way to get round all of this,” Haar said.
“One person will think they’re lovely, one won’t. You don’t necessarily always keep a paper trail, either, which can make things hard when they’re hiding in plain sight."
According to the Fair Work Commission, management can take action in a reasonable way – but if not, it could be considered bullying.
It’s about creating a change within management structures, Haar said.
“You hear a lot that people don’t want to go to HR about issues – especially if you’re being bullied by a manager – because of the power dynamic and the fact that it could get back to them and your job could be made harder,” he said.
“There’s always a worry that when things like this are reported to your people managers, how seriously is it going to be taken? Especially if this is a first report, are they going to listen to the higher-ups or a ‘lowly employee’? It can be quite daunting.”
Haar added that by creating a working environment whereby people check up on one another and are transparent about acceptable actions in the workplace, people are more likely to work together, with toxic behaviour less likely to be seen.
Ultimately, a ‘better job’ needs to be done when it comes to workplace culture in order to get the best out of employees and retain the best talent, he concluded.
