How Can HR Tackle Negative Behavior and Gossip to Improve Workplace Culture?

Hi Friends,

Share your ideas on what best we (company HR or outside HR consultants) can do in an organization when we see there is a lot of:

1. Bad behavior amongst employees
2. Backbiting
3. Spreading negativity
4. Loading all negative inputs to the newcomers
5. Gossiping

In such a scenario, how and what should an HR or an outside consultant do?

Dear Vision United, the five points that you have provided show that there is a complete deterioration of the organization's culture. Obviously, for this deterioration, the company's leadership is responsible. While I appreciate your concern about the degeneration of the culture, why do you bother if the leadership is indifferent to it?

Problems with Leadership and Organizational Culture

Problems of this kind arise when leadership does not take an interest in giving a specific shape to the company's culture. They are too obsessed with their vision or revenue target, and giving a specific shape to the company's culture is not on their agenda at all.

The Role of HR and Consultants

No HR or outside consultant can change an organization's culture unless there is commitment from the top management. Therefore, if you are really interested, then let an outside consultant talk to the top leadership about conducting an organizational survey. However, I doubt whether the top leadership will accept doing it. Even if the survey is conducted, what is the point if no action is taken?

The Limitations of Training

By the way, some smart soft skills and other trainers may recommend you organize the Outbound Training (OBT) or some other training. Nevertheless, employee training is for building specific skills. It would be too naive to believe that training on teamwork changes the culture. Your organization is suffering from dysfunctions that are equivalent to a disease in a human body, which certainly cannot be eradicated solely because of employee training.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear Vision United, your post describes some of the most common issues of organizational politics. Although this issue is common in many organizations, it is seen more in typical family-oriented businesses where the revenue system is set, and growth efforts and competitiveness are not a primary concern.

Leadership of such organizations may not like this culture internally, but at times they find it difficult to handle because of various emotional attachments with the people and somehow do not want to get involved in micromanagement or employees' personal/professional issues until it directly affects job productivity.

A consultant can really add value in this situation if the leadership wants to improve the scenario in general and is willing to pay the cost for it. From an HR perspective, your role becomes working in close coordination with management and starting to document processes/policies wherever possible. Also, try to develop forms and formats for various processes where decisions on employees are made, like PMS, Induction, Orientation, etc., as it will help make people accountable in certain areas.

In a situation like this, improvement can only come from the commitment of executive leadership.

Warm Regards,
Sujeet S Rajawat

In the current scenario of poisonous employee behavior, an outside capable HR consultant would be a better bet. By being impartial, they can create conditions for change and initiate actions conducive to change, provided that the top management genuinely desires a change. My experience tells me that the disruptive behavior is likely displayed by only a few disgruntled employees causing these ruptures. An outside HR consultant, by genuinely offering to help, can build rapport and encourage them to discuss their specific issues. They can then analyze these issues and develop a roadmap for both short-term and long-term action plans to resolve legitimate concerns.

My views, as given above, certainly rest on some assumptions about the problems as narrated, and the actual line of action will differ based on ground realities.

Regards,
Vinayak Nagarkar
HR Consultant

The mentioned problems can be solved by the top leader by conducting a weekly meeting with all employees. The question is how?

Below is my experience through which I motivated my colleagues; I implemented the concept of mentoring. After I listened to all the HR problems, I created a mentoring matrix where a senior employee could assist a junior employee who was a newcomer in their area of development and target time.

I suggested to the junior employees not to make any complaints about their seniors as they are helping them. These small steps can be taken to eliminate the word "complaint" towards each other because both have to perform to fulfill the needs of the organization. We can achieve the goal of "going together" by teaching to catch fish instead of giving fish.

I hope this may help others.

Leadership and Cultural Change in Organizations

This is certainly a case of leadership failure. It seems there is no transparency in the organization and no management control or moral authority to manage the workforce. In such a scenario, HR has an opportunity to rise above all the politics and make an attempt to bring about change on behalf of the top management. Surely, top management too must be wanting to have a better culture in place rather than such a rotten one. HR should first discuss the matter with the top management and arrange for a meeting with leadership layers at different levels, with HR acting as a facilitator and contributor.

All points of concern should be brought to the table and discussed thoroughly. Take suggestions from those present. Take a commitment from all reporting managers present to increase the engagement level of their teams. Implement high maturity people practices. Share/discuss organizational values and vision and remind them of the need to adhere to the same. Hold skip-level meetings with the project teams. Make clear guidelines to deal with cases of indiscipline and professional misconduct. There must be a reprimand commensurate with the offense committed. Check/review internal processes and procedures within the organization. Hold review meetings periodically to see the implementation of changes suggested. Work on continuous process improvement. Organizations must raise their working standards all across. No single approach will yield results.

Good luck.

Regards, Prem Goswami

Dear Visionsunited, please clarify whether the behavior issue is limited to some staff only or if it relates to all the employees. Prem has made a valuable and workable action plan, perhaps on the basis that the issue encompasses all the staff. If it is caused by only a handful who are taking the entire organization for a ride, HR must engage with them to understand the underlying causes, resolve legitimate concerns, persuade, motivate, or deal firmly with the hardened employees, even if it means weeding them out as a last resort.

My guess is that it is a minuscule group of employees who are at the center of this issue, and the rest of the staff are acting as passive spectators and carrying on with an "I have nothing to do with it" attitude or following with a sheepish mentality. In the absence of this clarification, we will be beating around the bush.

Regards, Vinayak Nagarkar HR-Consultant

Dear Visionsunited,

I apologize for not responding to the questions raised, unlike other expert contributors. My inclination usually doesn't prompt me to ask questions. Is this a general inquiry or specific to a particular organization? If it pertains to the latter, please provide more details about the scenario, such as the size of the organization, nature of work, whether it is a startup, ownership, and whether the behaviors are limited to a specific department, etc.

Although the situation you have narrated above points towards absolute leadership failure and a demented mindset of the leaders of the organization, the employee behavior narrated above indicates that such behavior is encouraged and liked by the leadership as they are using one employee against the other to extract information against the employees. Such leadership shows a lack of faith in the team they are leading.

Mr. Prem has given a nice suggestion on the way forward above, but I agree with Mr. Simhan that more inputs are required. For the correction of the situation, a consultant will be required to study in detail and chart out the way forward. However, more than this, it will require a strong resolve of the management to change their own outlook and behavior. They should be ready to punish backbiters irrespective of the information, whether good, bad, or ugly. They should be ready to make some short-term sacrifices to achieve long-term gains.

I have seen corruption thriving in such types of companies but can't say anything about your company.

Warm Regards,

Bharat Gera
HR Consultant
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy-Reasons]

Dear Friend, you have requested us to share our ideas. The best part is your practical approach to asking the question:

1) Establish a training center where employees are well-trained and knowledgeable about the organization's vision, mission, their future growth, goals of the organization, and diversification. Ensure that the training is not too time-consuming or too short (one or two weeks).

2) Provide a clear roadmap for employees showing their progression within the organization, including revenue/progressive scale of elevation and welfare measures.

3) Always show concern for the employee's health, wealth, and growth along with the organization.

4) Emphasize actual growth without shortcuts to promotion or elevation. Encourage attachment to those who contribute to progress, even if it is a tough task requiring vision.

5) In case an employee decides to leave for a better opportunity, ensure a cordial departure without creating rough weather. Include this in your welfare statement.

6) Accept ideas and recommendations based on merit for the organization's progress. Share these ideas with others for implementation, emphasizing a goodwill approach.

7) Ensure transparent procedures for recruitment at all levels and work towards evolving it.

There are many more aspects to consider, but I will stop here in the hope that this will provide more clarity in your approach.

"Transparency is always a difficult word to have."

Have a good day....