Issue #27
#27 - On toxicity at work - what is it, what impact is it having?
July 22, 2022

#1

#Toxicity #GreatResignation #Attrition

The summary says it all -- this MIT study of attrition between April and September 2021 found that a toxic corporate culture was 10X more likely to lead to attrition than compensation. And 3X more likely to lead to attrition as the next cause. Below, we look at how the authors define a toxic corporate culture. πŸ‘‡πŸ»

#2

#Toxicity #Vocabulary

We often confuse a culture we don't like with a culture that is toxic -- but they're not necessarily the same thing. Just because I don't like what I read about an organization's culture -- or don't like working there -- doesn't mean it's toxic. This snapshot, by contrast, gives us a useful framework and set of terms to apply more objectively.

As for the data themselves? It turns out that something as basic as a lack of good, old-fashioned respect -- "consideration, courtesy and dignity for others" -- had the most downward impact on an employee's rating of a company's culture.

#3

#Toxicity #Vocabulary

The entire interview with psychologist Adam Grant is worth the read. Here πŸ‘†πŸ», Grant gives us a slightly different framework for understanding toxicity, and we like it because it's practical: it allows us appreciate how toxicity manifests in an organization. But when he explains that prioritizing results over "treating people right" leads to feelings of disrespect, exclusion and abuse? The definition actually winds up super consistent with MIT's.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week. πŸ™πŸ»


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