In psychologically safe workplaces, there should be no ambiguity and subjectivity in how employees are measured: the quality of work should trump the hours put in. Valuing time above quality is a precarious management trend, as research shows that employees who work 55 hours or more per week are at a higher risk of stroke than those who work shorter hours. Read more on this here.
Is Valeant Pharmaceuticals the Next Enron?
Companies where employees may be forced into engaging or witnessing illegal, unethical activities often have toxic environments for workplace well being. If the criticisms being leveled against Valeant are true, it would be unsurprising to discover a poisonous corporate culture at play. For more on the unhealthy work environment at Enron, check out the documentary “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.” Read more on Valeant here.
Cooking the Books in Bunches
When corporate wrongdoing is considered the norm, companies are better able to rationalize bad behavior and culture. When a corporation is revealed to be up to no good, like the recent Volkswagen scandal for example, the rest of the industry takes notice. For this reason, whistle blowers need to be supported by corporate culture, so that industry-wide practices can be above board both ethically and legally. Read more at the New York Times.
Giving More Corporate Chiefs the Steve Jobs Treatment
Executives rank pretty low in respectability ratings largely due to reports of scandal, greed, and fraud that have become almost daily news items. Perhaps if more historians profiled business leaders and CEOs the way Steve Jobs has been profiled, many of them would adjust their leadership styles to consider their legacies. Read the full article at the New York Times.
Is Your Corporate Culture a Ticking Time Bomb?
Corporate cultures that discourage employees from reporting wrongdoing are ticking time bombs. Situations like the Volkswagen scandal should be keeping senior executives up at night – what if there are legal and ethical breaches in their organizations that they’re not aware of? What if the employees in the know are too afraid to bring issues to their attention for fear of retaliation? Questions like these prove that creating a psychologically healthy workplace isn’t just in the best interest of employees – it’s another form of risk-management for CEOs who want to avoid becoming the next VW. Whistle blowers will only feel comfortable coming forward with essential information if the workplace culture is based on trust and encouragement. Here are two great reads on the VW scandal: Volkswagen says Whistle-Blower Pushed It to Admit Broader Cheating and VW Lost its Moral Compass in the Quest for Growth.
The Perilous Plight of Middle Managers
Middle managers and supervisors often have the worst lot in corporate life: they have no real control over decisions, and are separated from the productive ends of their companies. They are more prone to anxiety and depression, according to a new study by the Sociology of Health & Illness journal. Middle managers were over 5% more likely to develop depression, and over 6% more likely to have work-related anxiety than their bosses and their workers. When middle managers are stressed, their strain can be passed down to the people they manage. Read more here.
"At Stanford, Relationship Reveals Accusations of Discrimination"
This situation at Stanford is evocative of several larger issues at play in the workplace that can lead to psychologically unsafe environments, such as gender, race, and personal relationships. Bullying comes in many different forms, and the stress of having to work with an estranged spouse, or that estranged spouse’s new partner, can be one of those forms when taken advantage of by someone in a position of power. Read more on this story here.
"Army to Settle With Whistle-Blowing Hospital Worker at Fort Bragg"
This is a clear example of an aggressive, hostile approach being held by management towards employees. However, it also points to a larger trend: companies that punish their employees are also more likely to give horrible service to their customers, in this case, United States active-duty service members in need of medical care. Read more about this case here.
"The Impact of Workplace Bullying"
A staggering 80% of people feel they are in an “unhelpful or hostile work environment,” according to Mental Health America. I spoke with Rex Huppke at the Chicago Tribune about how pervasive workplace bullying is, and how it is often an ingrained part of company culture itself. The only way to get employees to trust their HR departments enough to share their experiences is to create trustworthy corporate cultures. Read the full piece here.
"Getting it Right: Pay Attention to the Mundane Things of Business Life"
Employees’ confidence in their employers is at a record low. It is no wonder that over 70 percent of North American workers are disengaged (according to Gallup Polling). The quality of leadership in the workplace directly affects those being led.
Read more at The Economist.