When we feel in control, we
can grow, develop and
become better people. It
gives us the headspace to discover new
things, find strengths we never knew
we had and achieve so much more
than we thought. Surely this state of
mind is crucial for an e ective working
environment? An increasing focus on
wellbeing in the workplace suggests
a shi in the right direction, but can
workplace stress and anxiety really be
solved with table tennis and free pizza?
The pace and intensity of many
workplaces is spiralling out of control.
Employers are asking for more but
o ering less, more people are expected
to work irrational hours, organisations
are trying to please multiple
stakeholders while combatting growing
talent shortages. Throw in a massive
dose of Brexit uncertainty and ambiguity,
and it’s no surprise that 595,000 of us are
su ering from workplace stress in the
UK, according to the Health and Safety
Executive. And that doesn’t include the
number of people too worried about
repercussions to report it.
Many big businesses are attempting
to mask the issue through wellbeing
initiatives such as free food or gym
memberships – but this isn’t getting to
the root of the problem, or addressing
the reason behind the need for these
additional wellbeing initiatives.
Again and again I meet people at the
end of their tether. They’re stressed.
They’re tired. They want something to
change. More o© en than not, they’re
women. Why? Because women tend
to be more attuned to the culture of a
business. I work with very senior women
with big roles and big demands. These
are smart and intelligent women – but
recently we’ve started to see cracks
appear.
Women are attempting to ‘just get on
with it’: keep your head down, do your
best, work harder and you will get there.
Yet clearly, it isn’t working. We need to
ensure we create the opportunities for
women (and men) to become more
self-aware about what’s really happening
and provide them with the tools to deal
with issues before the situation becomes
deeply unhealthy for themselves and
organisations.
But before we can solve the problem,
we need to understand the toxins that
can become endemic in an o ice: blame,
stonewalling, defensiveness, contempt
and flooding.
FM CAREERS - RECRUITMENT
Blame
This is where people or groups of
people go on the attack and try to
dominate. They single out those they
want to subjugate, and can change
the way an organisation thinks about
them. It can be subtle but devastating.
Stonewalling
When one person, group or
department decides they no longer
want anything to do with another,
they might withhold information from
those who need it and constantly
cancel meetings. While this can be
difficult for an individual, you can
see how this would also be hugely
detrimental to a business.
Defensiveness
Sometimes people just don’t listen
and jump to an aggressive defence of
a position without considering why
they’re doing so, or what impact it
can have.
Contempt
It’s almost impossible to come back
from a position where people or
teams believe their counterparts are
beneath consideration or worthless.
It’s hard to imagine this attitude can
become rampant in a business, but
it can.
Flooding
This is when one group or person
systematically overwhelms others
to meet a goal. An example might be
an office move that would require a
relocation.
When seen in black and white, it’s hard
to believe that businesses really can
be like this. It makes you wonder how
anything can be achieved. But there are
ways to overcome all these challenges.
It starts with setting the right values.
When set at a senior level and enforced,
they can help define the ground rules for
the way people work. In their absence,
you’ll quickly find that tribes form with
their own poisonous ethics.
This is because di erent departments
have clear goals and aims, which inform
how they think. Sales will be aggressive
and target driven. Marketing will be
creative. Service teams may be problem
solvers. Without a common set of values,
they can fall into their own world and
see others as ‘the enemy’. Equally, there
needs to be enough space within these
values for individualism.
But values are just the start – breaking
down any embedded prejudices
through empathy is equally important.
Look for where the tensions lie – are
they between men and women? Then
get the respective groups into a room.
Once there, each side can describe
how they feel. The women may say
they are outnumbered and feel judged
as emotional. Men might respond by
saying they’re o© en picking up work
that others hand over. It’s amazing how
this can calm situations quite quickly.
I’ve watched people’s faces change as
realisation dawns on them.
This activity also allows leaders to
become more aware of what’s going on
around them and in their teams – on a
really human level. The topics brought
up initiate real conversations about
what’s really important. When we get to
this level of humanity, people thrive, and
so do organisations.
With that in mind, creating a more
welcoming atmosphere in the workplace
isn’t just ‘nice to have’, it’s essential. It’s
important we call time on poisonous
working environments – and make work
more human. Human companies aren’t
flu y, they’re real. And successful.
RISE AND SHINE Caroline Whaley, co-founder of career coaching organisation Shine
for Women, discusses how we can make the workplace more human,
welcoming and successful for men and women alike
JULY 2019 57