“I recently got a new job. I still remember those kindest and sweetest persons who conducted the interview. It's just a pity that the team was not shown right away. As it turned out, in the company the following is considered the norm: gossip, eavesdrop, swear, “knock” on colleagues, etc. The motto of the company is "we are a family". But ... This did not apply to everyone! There is a person in the company who is idolized - this is the CEO. To her only on "you", only with respect, since she "picked up" and "sheltered" us all here.
In general, I realized that I did not fit in. I don't fit in because I just came to work and communicate in a human way. And all these intrigues are disgusting to me at the level of values.
The most annoying thing is that both the position and the salary are perfect for me. In addition, I have financial difficulties that now do not allow me to re-enter the market. How to survive a year in this shit? ”
The team and atmosphere are an important component of effective work. And if creatures of the reptile class of the scaly squad (snakes) appear in it, this has a number of unpleasant consequences. In addition to obvious psychological problems, the gadyushnik directly affects the efficiency of the processes. A couple of examples:
1) The adaptation of an employee in an unhealthy team takes longer and more difficult.
When a newcomer comes to a company, he first studies the material, gets to know the processes, and establishes contacts. All this can be called “mastering the tools”, which the employee will use in his future activities. Even if the company has an adaptation plan, a training portal, and a personal mentor is also allocated, all the same, the team also contributes its positive share. After talking with colleagues (in the kitchen or sitting next to them), the employee draws new information. Colleagues, without noticing it, little by little help him and chew on some complex nuances. Yes, and the beginner himself asks them questions. All this takes place in a normal team.
If the team is abnormal, the person, at best, is left alone, and at worst, they put a spoke in his wheels: they do not answer his questions, misinform, distract, interfere….
2) It takes more time to interact in an abnormal team.
Just because people are destructive and unfriendly, the new employee tries to avoid communicating with them. He tries to resolve issues on his own, although it would be faster if he asked for help. And the destructive colleagues themselves can deliberately arrange conflicts and "send" him, with every attempt to address them.
But the main thing is that the demotivational state will be reflected in all the employee's affairs. Until he leaves ...
The manager does not see the problem
Often, the problem of an unhealthy team is invisible to the leaders of the companies in which it is present. I associate this with the addictive effect. For example, a person who smells bad, and those who live with him, do not notice this smell. As they say - "sniffed". Likewise, the leaders working in gadyushniki. They do not hear this "stench", and therefore they cannot do anything about it.
In addition, the manager may have a separate office, and his stay in the general team is limited to morning and evening walks between the employees' tables (when he comes to work and when he leaves it).
And finally, the manager is always busy. He is immersed in work and removed from everything “worldly” and “everyday”. And even if his table is in the center of the team, he simply does not pay attention to what is happening around.
"You can't close everyone's mouths"
When the manager begins to feel the presence of a problem, then a new problem appears - “I can't close our mouths to everyone”. Like, people gossip, I know that, but this is not done publicly. If it were publicly, I would certainly have stopped it, but since this is all done around the corners, I am powerless.
Yes, if, for example, we are talking about gossip, then everyone's mouths cannot be shut. And you don't need to try to do it. At the same time, you can carry out such a set of actions:
1) “Extinguish” the instigators
There are always a few people who disperse the entire crowd. In the serpentine, you will always find the most active, most destructive and most violent employees. They are the core and foundation of this Caudle. And it is with them that you should start.
Find them and neutralize them. How exactly is up to you. I will say right away that it is difficult to treat and, if a person is addicted to this lifestyle, he will not want to give it up. He does not consider this to be his problem, and on the contrary, this passion pleases him. Therefore, it seems to me that we need to say goodbye right away.
If we are talking about the most valuable and irreplaceable expert, then the only option I see is his removal from the team. “Promote” it to a separate office on the other side of the city or send it to a remote location.
2) Adjust selection
During the selection process, the recruiter must pay attention to the moral and ethical qualities of applicants and weed out those who are predisposed to create an unhealthy atmosphere within the company.
I am sure that a good HR service, understanding the problem that you are trying to solve (you must definitely describe it to them in detail) will be able to sketch a portrait of such a candidate, determine visual differences, values, parameters by which they can adjust the selection.
3) Do not participate in the "brothel"
And most importantly, you (the leader) must change. Indeed, often, the leader himself, without noticing it, becomes a participant in gossip and encourages them.
“Recently, my boss told me privately to be careful with one of my colleagues. She, about a month ago, told me in secret that the boss cannot be trusted ... ”
The manager himself is not averse to taking part in intrigues or listening to what the employees are saying on the sly. Such a leader finds informers (and often these are the most malicious instigators) and they leak information to him.
There should be no double standards! If you want the company not to have gossip or spread rot or foul language, you yourself must hate it all and suppress it in every possible way:
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In addition to the fact that employees are constantly demotivated and quit because of this, there is an even bigger problem - they can stay! I'm not kidding - this is a problem! After all, just think, who can survive in such a team? Only the same snake can survive.
Also, do not forget about the following rule: “a cucumber placed in a barrel of brine changes its state regardless of its desire”. What does this mean? This means that while you have a destructive atmosphere in your team, there is no point in looking for new good employees. Each new employee who gets into this team will regularly be in this “brine barrel” and transform unnoticed.
Is it always critical?
There is also an alternative opinion. So, one friend wrote to me the following: "The worse they treat you in the team, the better!" And she told her story, how she, thanks to the moronic team, was able to climb the career ladder. How she was motivated by the fact of neglect on the part of colleagues and how she wanted them all to wipe their nose. This drove her and she achieved success!
Yes, it happens. But ...
First, not all people have steel ... nerves. If we are talking about an ordinary average employee, it seems to me that not everyone has such a heroic characteristic.
Secondly, I agree that if an employee is torn away from the team, then he will have more time. He will have no one to discuss the news with, have a smoke,…. And, this is likely to increase his productivity. But, it all depends on:
- person. How important it is for him to be involved in the team and communicate with people.
- functions. How much he has to communicate with the team in order to fulfill his functional duties.
Therefore, it still seems to me that it is possible to consider a toxic collective from the side of motivation for achievement only as an exception.
Outcomes
The team, like other work tools, can both increase the employee's efficiency and decrease it. He will increase it in the case of cohesion and synergistic effect, reduce it - due to destructiveness and conflicts.
Regardless of the personality type and degree of introversion, any employee wants to be in a friendly team. For someone, the goal will be pleasant communication, for someone the search for love, for someone healthy rivalry, and for someone a chance to assert themselves.
When the team is a snake, not only does the employee lose motivation, he acquires a state of demotivation and unwillingness to be around and communicate with these people.
You can find the continuation of the series of demotivation cases and other management cases in the telegram channel: t.me/OS_management
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