Tips To Manage Workplace Behavior

Posted on September 02, 2024 by Wendemy Elkabor, One of Thousands of Health and Fitness Coaches on Noomii.

How does a negative organizational culture impact employee morale and productivity?

Dwindling job satisfaction, poor employee relationships, and discipline, substandard quality of
work, lack of foresight in achieving organizational goals, burnout, and high turnover are a few
effects of a toxic corporate culture.
The average person spends roughly 90,000 hours at the workplace in a lifetime—let’s face it, that
is a significant portion of your awake time! You certainly do not want to spend all this time in a
whirlwind of office politics and conflicts. This takes a toll on productivity during office hours
and may significantly impact employee well-being after hours.
So, what exactly can you do to foster a positive organizational culture and manage workplace
behavior? Venture below for some valuable tips.

Managing workplace relationships
Humans are social creatures who need the company of others to survive and thrive. Studies
reveal that employees are much more likely to be content when they have a friend at their
workplace. This can lead to job satisfaction, better customer service, and increased profits.
So, what is the first step in nurturing positive workplace relationships? Identify and combat the
toxic behaviors that bring the ship down. Thereafter, focus on building healthy corporate
behaviors and relationships.
One of the most toxic behaviors that organizations should sanitize against is gossip. Gossip is
detrimental to the office environment, keeping employees on guard. This can be mentally taxing,
contributing to low subjective well-being and high turnover. How can gossipmongering be
tackled? Face it head-on. Speak directly and honestly to those involved—the victims and the
gossipmongers. Reassure all your employees that gossip will not be tolerated and that
disciplinary action will be taken against those involved. This will undoubtedly help quell any
worries and insecurities.
Bullying is yet another toxic behavior that can disrupt the office environment. Picking on
recruits, intimidating co-workers, and verbally humiliating colleagues are forms of bullying that
are rampant in some organizations. How can bullying be tackled? Take prompt action. Identify if
you consciously or unconsciously attribute more power to the bully above others. If so, counter it
immediately. Hold confidential meetings with the victims and witnesses and maintain records of
bullying should higher management or Human Resources be involved. You may initially provide
verbal warnings to the bully to allow them to dispel such behaviors; however, written warnings
could be employed if the behavior continues.

What about the glory-huggers—those who seize others’ credit for themselves? Once you have
gathered evidence of such behavior, hold a confidential meeting with the employee. Discuss the
difference between “collaborative teamwork” and “idea theft” and the importance of recognizing
and giving credit to the rightful co-worker.
Enforce activities that inspire engagement between co-workers during and outside office hours.
How can this be cultivated? Collaborate with co-workers on group projects, celebrate birthdays,
encourage weekly lunches together, and organize monthly game/movie nights.
The more engaged and comfortable colleagues are with each other, the more confident they will
be at voicing their opinions, sharing and reinforcing new ideas, empathizing and helping each
other with tasks, and achieving organizational goals and targets. Positive workplace relationships
are absolutely essential to motivate change, innovate and inspire morale and productivity.
Also, remember that in addition to maintaining healthy relationships between co-workers,
management should cultivate good relations between employees and their supervisors/managers.
Gallup found that the manager determines up to 70% of the team’s engagement. Therefore, plan
regular one-on-ones with each employee to discuss their strengths, areas they need to work on,
and ways to identify their personal goals and how they can align with the organization’s goals.
Also, participate in your team’s social activities, but remember that you should not compromise
the professional relationship.

Conflict Resolution within the workplace
Managing co-workers can sometimes be challenging. Each employee is unique in personality,
views, and personal experiences, so conflicts and misunderstandings may arise routinely.
Conflicts are not the end of the world; they are inevitable. As long as appropriate resolution tools
are employed, conflicts can be curbed before they cause significant issues within the workplace.
The first step in conflict resolution is to speak to both parties concerned to identify the root cause
of the conflict. Find a safe and comfortable place that would allow for uninterrupted
communication. Encourage both parties to speak freely; ask as many questions as necessary.
Practice active listening while ensuring that you refrain from allowing your biases to color your
judgment. After each person has shared their view, paraphrase their statement to ensure that you
and they have a good grasp of the issue. Encourage a positive and assertive approach, giving
both parties equal time to voice their perspectives. Through this, both parties will be able to
communicate openly and honestly.
Investigate the issue further. Speak to those who witnessed the conflict and other parties who
may have also been indirectly involved—try to gain a comprehensive, unbiased view. This will
allow you to identify if the precipitating issue is, in fact, the leading cause of the conflict or if
there is an underlying problem at hand that is not as evident. Thereafter, speak to both parties
again to ensure they understand and consent to the disagreement. Discuss ways they can arrive at
a common ground to resolve the issue at hand. Brainstorm together for feasible solutions.3
Once the individuals have agreed on a suitable solution, work out the responsibilities each party
has to uphold in the resolution. Agreeing and working out a plan will prevent the issue from
resurfacing. Ensure you keep a keen eye on how things progress to determine if the solution is
effective. Plan preventive strategies as well if the problem resurfaces in the future.

Professionalism
Whether your workplace maintains a formal or much more casual atmosphere, exhibiting
professionalism is paramount for a positive corporate culture.
Appropriate communication styles between co-workers and higher management, as well as with
each other, are crucial for professionalism. Provide training sessions that target suitable
workplace conduct and communication. Share timely feedback that offers constructive criticism
of employee behaviors. Positive reinforcement works best with employees; therefore, while you
do take the initiative to quell unprofessional behaviors, make sure to appreciate the favorable
ones.

In the age of social media, maintaining an undesirable online presence can harm the organization
in which the individual is employed. Ideally, employees’ social media presence should be outside
the purview of the respective workplace. Nonetheless, in the recent past, employers have begun
perceiving workers as extensions of the company and increasingly monitoring their social media
presence to ensure that the organization is reflected favorably through all staff.

The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the workplace and workforce
With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, business and organizational operations
underwent a drastic transition to facilitate working from home during lockdowns. This posed a
significant impact on employee behavior. Yes, working from home allows for flexible work
hours, avoidance of commute and public spaces, and several financial benefits, but research
reveals that the cons of remote work far outweigh the pros. The challenge of drawing a line
between work and home life and balancing work with other familial responsibilities such as
home-schooling and childcare can lead to burnout. Furthermore, the change in the routine and
structure, lack of social activities and physical proximity to co-workers, difficulty in monitoring
progress and hosting staff development programs, home distractions, miscommunications, etc.,
have significant emotional, behavioral, and physical implications on employees.
Therefore, employers should encourage staff to cover their number of hours for the day— no
more, help employees set daily/weekly targets or goals, organize online workshops for staff
development, schedule one-on-one meetings with each employee to discuss their progress,
challenges, and brainstorm for ways they can overcome potential issues, create opportunities for
non-work-related informal catch-ups with co-workers, and teach the importance of regular
exercise and healthy eating. Although it may not be possible to overcome all the challenges
associated with remote working, this may help staff be more productive while maintaining
positive mental and physical well-being.

Managing stress in the workplace
It’s no secret that bosses cause much of the stress generated at the workplace. Lead by example
by controlling your emotions—avoid letting out your anger and stress on your employees.
Practice and encourage your employees to de-stress regularly, especially at the end of a long and
particularly stressful day at the office.
Prolonged stress can have dire effects on mental and physical health. To avoid this, introduce
wellness schemes. You can offer meditation/yoga classes every week, maintain a lounge space
where employees can have some quiet time, provide on-site or distance counseling services,
organize weekly social activities within and outside the workspace, and, if their job role allows
it, permit remote working or flexible work hours. These will not only contribute to a stress-free
work environment but also assist in boosting morale and encouraging team building.

Hierarchy
Workplace hierarchy is only sometimes as toxic as people are led to believe. Provided that the
organization is structured well and has a skillful leader, hierarchies can be instrumental in getting
work done promptly and effectively.
Be conscious of how you promote employees within your organization. Produce objective
criteria that would only allow competent employees to rise to the top. This will help reinforce
diversity and inclusion within your organization, as decisions are not biased towards a favorable
handful.
One of the main criticisms of workplace hierarchies is power distribution, with those higher up
the ladder given more power than the rest. To foster a healthy workplace hierarchy, each
individual must be given the power to specialize within their own domain. This will allow for
better coordination and empower each individual to make good decisions.

Job Promotions
Deciding which employee most deserves a promotion can sometimes be a challenge, considering
the host of eligible candidates. While promotions can be a cheaper and quicker alternative to
external recruitment, they can also boost productivity, loyalty, and job satisfaction.
Few employees stand out from the rest, no doubt. Being promoted entails additional
responsibility, new challenges, and unconventional problem-solving skills. Look for persons who
have previously demonstrated a thirst for more responsibility and new challenges, and single out
those who identify solutions in the place of problems and those who enjoy receiving feedback
and positively taking criticism. Ensure that the individual you choose also demonstrates good
interpersonal skills, enjoys sharing their knowledge and expertise with others, and is loyal to the
organization. These factors are also pivotal in ensuring that the team assigned to the individual is
not disadvantaged.

THE BOTTOM LINE
A positive organizational culture is pivotal to employee morale and productivity. Yes, managing
employees can be challenging, but it is not entirely impossible. With some patience and the tips
we have listed above, you can maintain a motivated workforce and healthy corporate
environment focused on achieving your organization’s goals and vision.