Leading positive workplace culture and its effect on employee wellbeing is a growing focus for many organisations as the environment of where, how and when people work becomes increasingly complex.

Ranging across the many aspects likely to influence any organisation’s working environment, is the overriding influence of leadership style and culture. All the great policy work done in fields of ergonomics, workplace care, concern and support for individuals can be so easily undone by careless or insensitive behaviour by those in management or supervisory roles.

So much is already written about the impact of leadership culture, and still we see the lessons not being learned, sometimes with disastrous consequences for both employees and the organisation’s own objectives.

Failing to observe the simplest of basic leadership rules and principles regularly leads to a spiral downward to employee dissatisfaction, loss of productivity and chaos.

So, what are these simple rules –

• Identify and nurture leaders and prospective leaders who demonstrate good positive culture.
• Hold to account leaders and prospective leaders who do not demonstrate good positive culture.
• Exercise due diligence in recruiting new leaders into your organisation so that they are compatible with and add to good positive culture.
• Never ignore or fail to respond to signs that people in leadership roles are not demonstrating positive culture.
• Employ a diligent performance review process that focuses on creating and maintaining positive culture.
• Regularly ask employees about the culture in which they work and listen to their opinions.

Importantly for executive management is the need to always be on the lookout for behaviours and language within the workplace which offer subtle hints that cracks are appearing in good culture. These often begin to creep in as sarcasm, ridicule and inappropriate sexual references. These are often excused as joking or humour but are laden with the seeds of bullying and harassment. It is the leader’s obligation to call out these behaviours and replace them with respectful, supportive and encouraging conduct.

Workplaces are not always fairylands of sweetness and light, but employees should be entitled to expect safe and considerate leadership focused on supporting their ability to do their job well and to enjoy the company of their co-workers in achieving fulfilling outcomes for themselves and the organisation.

Need help in assessing your organisational culture? – call in Reinforcements!