The 5 Worst Abuses Experienced by Employees of Large Corporations
By: Zori Angelova
Tags: Remote Working, Employee Engagement, Corporate Culture, Toxic Culture, Work Place Toxicity

By: Zori Angelova

2020 has given a new perspective on life, causing many to dig deep and reassess their lives — personally and professionally. For companies this meant addressing problems head on in order to get the most out of the virtual setting. As employees’ personal space quickly turned into an office any burning annoyance was bound to come out. Any toxic work culture that may have affected personal life pre-covid19, will be heightened amidst a virtual setting. In the article Toxic Workplaces Can Kill You (Really) published by Appreciation at Work, writer Paul White mentions how Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor at Stanford Graduate School, linked workplace stress to 120,000 deaths a year in the United States. Toxic workplace culture alongside election season, schools going virtual and a global pandemic — stress is coming from all sorts of directions. In order to release work stress, companies must reevaluate the toxic behavior cultivated at work. Here are the 5 worst abuses experienced by employees of large corporations and things companies can do to terminate the anxieties caused by these behaviors:

Setting a Strict Dress Code

The larger goal of installing a dress code is to demonstrate unity, professionalism and prevent skimpiness. Based on one’s job title, dress code may follow a certain checklist: navy, black, appropriate length skirt; while also banning: vibrant colors, extravagant earrings and clashes of color. However, providing a rulebook for the way one is supposed to dress dehumanizes creativity and forces the employee to submit themselves to the company. This can then attribute to lack of motivation, loss of self and irritation with company values. More companies are becoming aware that they are competing for talented workers with companies (ex. Google, Apple, Microsoft) who abide by a relaxed dress code. Corporations such as JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, General Motors and Virgin Atlantic have audited their company dress code to allow their employees to be able to personalize their workplace attire. Some argue that if employees are given too much autonomy they may come to work not looking “presentable”. However, the employee was already hired, having gone through countless interviews, preparation and dissection of who they are by the company. Furthermore, doing work from home amidst going through a global pandemic has allowed for more understanding amongst employees and company leaders. After the pandemic, the workplace dress code is predicted to be totally stripped away and, instead, installing a dress standard. Accessorizing or simply wearing a polo shirt instead of a button up can make all the difference for an employee to feel empowered in their workplace. As Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders once said: “If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you play good”. The most successful companies are those who know how to motivate their employees to perform at their optimal best.

2. Harsh Tone From Company Leaders/Managers Onto Employees

Many people can denote a person’s reaction from their tone of voice and language. When a boss or manager consistently tells you what you’re doing wrong, questions your effort or diminishes the quality of your work it can affect personal and professional life. This negative energy from a higher position to a lower can spread and damage the entire company, also known as the ripple effect. For example, if a CEO constantly dismisses the VP of Marketing’s work with harsh words, it’s more likely that the VP of Marketing carries that behavior onto those working under them. This doesn’t mean that a manager should fake positivity either. A great leader cultivates an environment that allows employees to flourish and not diminish. This begins with understanding employees and being patient with them.

3. Bringing an Employees Personal Life Into Work

In our days of social media, finding the people you work with can be as easy as searching up a name online. Online networking comes with an insight into personal relationships, events, beliefs and opinions. When managers and other employees gain perspective on one another’s personal life it’s inevitable that it doesn’t come into the workplace. It can be a great conversation starter — bonding over the amazing pizza place you both adore. It can also be the catalyst of many problems. Although everyone should be mindful of the things they post on social media, what one posts is entirely their decision and shouldn’t reflect on how well they do their job. More discreetly, managers and other employees may have slight microaggressions over religious or opinionated posts. Microaggressions will make an employee feel targeted and less than in the workplace. Isolation will affect the employees’ drive and confidence to complete their tasks. Needless to say, employees have the right to privacy in the workplace but just because it’s illegal doesn’t mean it won’t happen on the low. When friending a boss or team manager on social media keep in mind the possible consequences of them being able to view your personal life.

4. Employee Monitoring

With every job title comes a responsibility. Whether it’s getting a certain amount of email blasts out, contacting a client, completing paperwork or putting together a presentation there’s a standard that needs to be met in the quality of work done. Whenever a manager is constantly lurking into their work the person on the other end feels like a child. This isn’t high school where the teacher lurks over your shoulder causing you to freeze up, so in the workplace an adult shouldn’t be treated like they’re 16. Surveillance management also emphasizes perfection, which is impossible. Humans will make mistakes and instead of fearing it, should use it as a learning experience. Instead of forcing a sense of insecurity upon employees managers should be encouraged to build meaningful relationships with employees. This can be done by having weekly check-ins with a manager, where the main goal is to have an organic conversation and slightly touch on work related material. This will enhance motivation as well as communication between the employee and manager. Companies should keep in mind that employee’s apply for these positions for a reason and are aware of the consequences if their work doesn’t meet the standard. Unless an employee demonstrates an unwillingness to cooperate with others and meet deadlines, managers should act as a resource not a police officer.

5. Ignoring an Employees Feelings/Opinions

Being in charge of distributing work and managing company assignments, managers are used to having all the answers. On the other end, the ones doing the work, often have a lot to say on how the work is distributed alongside other suggestions. The belief that one position is completely aware of the others’ causes misunderstanding on both sides. However both positions agree one one thing: when work is belittled it can take a toll on engagement in the company. Company leaders are aware of the unseen struggles that can go through the work environment so many have installed feedback forms in order to accumulate perspective. The problem arises when the opinions portrayed on these surveys aren’t taken into account. For example, if an employee mentions how their manager is constantly overwhelming them with assignments in a feedback form and a month goes by with no change, the employee will feel ignored. Employees who feel like their opinions are being ignored may dissociate from the company and form a negative connotation towards their work. Instead of solely dismissing a feedback form, leaders in the company should then dive deeper to understand how and why employees are feeling the way they are. This can look like a relaxed, non-judgmental conversation to get more insight on whether there’s personal conflict in the employees life or a problem in the management dynamic. In order for the conversation to flow organically, the person facilitating it needs to establish that whatever the employee (or manager) says won’t be taken against them. This will set up a foundation for an honest conversation and will aid the person on the other end, making them feel valued to the company.

As our society evolves to become more understanding, it’s important that companies do the same. At the end of the day, employees, managers and CEOs are all humans working amidst one another towards a common goal. Whether they like to admit it or not, all positions are bound to make mistakes. Instead of complicating the workplace by pointing fingers, employees and company leaders should work collectively to understand one another’s needs in order to enhance their careers and the livelihood of the corporation. This will reduce work place stress, benefiting work and increasing longevity all together.

Citations:

White, Dr. Paul. “Toxic Workplaces Can Kill You (Really).” Authentic Appreciation at Work, 4 June 2018, www.appreciationatwork.com/blog/toxic-workplaces-can-kill-you-really/

Midwest New Media, LLC — www.midwestnewmedia.com — (513) 742–9150. “Workplace Fairness.” Dress Codes and Grooming, www.workplacefairness.org/dress-codes-grooming

Green, Dennis. “JPMorgan Just Relaxed Its Office Dress Code in a Huge Way.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 3 June 2016, www.businessinsider.com/jp-morgans-relaxed-dress-code-2016-6

Mull, Amanda. “After the Pandemic, the Office Dress Code Should Never Come Back.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 19 Nov. 2020, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/05/kill-the-office-dress-code/609070/

Lee, Allan. “When Empowering Employees Works, and When It Doesn’t.” Harvard Business Review, 5 Mar. 2018, https://hbr.org/2018/03/when-empowering-employees-works-and-when-it-doesnt

Priesemuth, Manuela. “Time’s Up for Toxic Workplaces.” Harvard Business Review, 19 June 2020, https://hbr.org/2020/06/times-up-for-toxic-workplaces

Campbell, Kelly. “Why Faking Positivity Is No Good for Agency Leaders.” Kelly Campbell Blog and Webpage, 4 Feb. 2020, https://klcampbell.com/why-faking-positivity-is-no-good-for-agency-leaders/

Gottsman, Diane. “6 Reasons You Shouldn’t Friend Your Employees on Social Media.” Inc.com, Inc., 21 June 2016, www.inc.com/diane-gottsman/6-reasons-you-shouldnt-friend-your-employees-on-social-media.html

Rose, Sam. “Workplace Surveillance — Are You Being Watched at Work?” OfficeSuppliesBlog, 14 May 2019, www.officesuppliesblog.co.uk/2019/05/14/workplace-surveillance-watched-at-work/

Monkey, Survey. “How 3 of the Best Companies to Work for Use Surveys.” SurveyMonkey, www.surveymonkey.com/mp/what-the-best-companies-to-work-for-have-in-common/

Hearn, Stuart. “Employees Are Being Ignored — And It’s Tanking Their Performance.” HR Technologist, 9 Apr. 2018, www.hrtechnologist.com/articles/performance-management-hcm/employees-are-being-ignored-and-its-tanking-their-performance/