How can the work environment be less toxic? Brut asked a group of office-goers during their tea break. Here’s what they said...
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00:00What comes to your mind when you hear toxic work culture?
00:03Micromanagement
00:04I think I have a habit of working in that type of environment
00:07If things are normal around me, then I feel that I am doing less
00:10I resigned in just 7 days
00:12We tried to shuffle some of the workload among the other team members
00:17Root is asking people if they ever had to prioritize work over health and mental well-being
00:22Is it okay if we record your answers?
00:23Yeah, fine
00:24If I talk about toxic work culture, what comes to your mind?
00:28Micromanagement
00:29You have a job and you monitor it
00:32You don't monitor whether you are coming at 8, 9, 10 or 11
00:36What comes to your mind when you hear toxic work culture?
00:40Being expected to work late hours or even on weekends
00:46If we are saying something to you and you are doing it
00:49Only then you are a dedicated employee, otherwise not
00:52So, that sometimes I think...
00:54I mean, it's their false belief
00:56Have you ever experienced it?
00:58Yes, sometimes
00:59Previous organizations
01:00Can you tell us?
01:01I have had some personal things to do
01:03It could be a trip, I have to hang out with a friend or something
01:06But all of a sudden something came up
01:09And they expect me to do it on the spot
01:10Without even considering what am I doing
01:12Is this my life or not?
01:14So, did you do it at the point?
01:16Yeah, it was a start-up, so it was a small company
01:19Okay, so how did it affect you then?
01:21It affected me in a way that...
01:23I think I have a habit of working in that type of environment
01:27If things are normal around me, then I feel that I am doing less
01:30Is it happening now?
01:31Right now, I think it's controlled
01:33When I qualified for CA, but when I joined
01:37It was not less than hell for me
01:38So, I resigned in just 7 days
01:40What happened?
01:42It was a very bad experience
01:43So, they were...
01:45To start with, I leave home at 7 am in the morning
01:49And I was entering home at around 11-12 in the night
01:51And even then they expected me to do work after reaching home
01:55I don't know how it was possible
01:57And within the first week, I had to work on Saturdays, Sundays
02:01It was actually a kind of sin
02:04To even think to leave early at around 7-8
02:06It was considered as a sin in their language
02:10After that, did you work in any organization?
02:12Yeah, after that I went to ***, another company
02:16Where it was similar in a way
02:19The manager was...
02:20He was a very micro-manager kind of person
02:23Who would interfere in everything
02:25Instead of work, he would make sure that
02:27You don't get any free time by mistake
02:31And he would make sure that you don't spend 15 minutes instead of 10
02:35He was a micro-manager and he would take revenge
02:38Let's say, if you made a mistake
02:41Or if you pointed out something wrong
02:44He would go into revenge mode
02:46What he used to do?
02:47He used to trouble you
02:48Let's say, he would give you a task that you don't know how to do
02:52Or you are new to this
02:53He would blame you for that
02:54He would put seniors in CC and play males-males
02:57That you didn't do this, you didn't do that
03:00So that the upper management gets a message that
03:02This person is useless
03:03And somehow get a job from him
03:05So, you know...
03:06How did that affect you?
03:08It was mentally very difficult
03:10It's like you have to pull your body to go to the office
03:15You don't feel like doing it
03:16Every day you just count when the weekend is coming
03:19How will you manage to go out for 3-4 days
03:22Even they try to trouble you on the weekends
03:26They give you a task on Friday and tell you that
03:30They want it by Monday morning
03:31It means you have to work on the weekend
03:33This is what they mean
03:35There was one senior of mine
03:37And he was like, why don't we talk or something
03:40And I was like, I don't want to indulge more apart from my work
03:43One day I just shouted
03:45So, after that he got very angry
03:49And then he came to me and said
03:52That this wasn't right at all
03:55And this is not the way
03:56And I was like, okay, it was my reflex
03:58I really want to say sorry
04:00Because I shouted
04:02And then the next day when I came to office
04:05One of my other seniors came to me
04:07And then telling me a story
04:10That I was in my previous company
04:12And there were 5 boys
04:16There was a girl who complained
04:18So, in that company, the HR fired the girl
04:24And scolded the 5 boys and got the work done
04:26Because we will train 5 more people
04:28It's better to fire the girl
04:31So, that is something I was not expecting at all
04:35In such situations, what do you want your organization to do for you?
04:38They should have explained to them
04:40And maybe the best thing is that they could have explained to both of them
04:44Do you have a work-life balance?
04:46Yeah, I have clearly
04:48How do you maintain it?
04:49I am very particular about what time I would leave
04:52And I have clearly expected that expectation with my manager
04:55And they also know that this girl or this lady
04:58How she wants to
05:00In what circumstances she can work
05:03So, they have given me that freedom
05:05Do you have a work-life balance?
05:06Right now, I have, yes
05:08How do you maintain it?
05:09I maintain it in a way
05:11First of all, I work on myself
05:13So that I don't take extra time
05:15To do the work that is given to me
05:17And other than that, I
05:19Strictly consider things
05:21In my day-to-day life
05:23If I have to do a workout, I have to do it
05:25It's my checklist
05:27And now, I have made myself in a way
05:29That if I am not doing a certain thing
05:31That will make me feel guilty
05:33Why haven't I put time in another thing
05:35Because life is more than this, more than just doing work
05:37How is your organization helping you to maintain a work-life balance?
05:40My organization is helping me
05:41Fortunately, our manager is flexible in these terms
05:44Now, I am more confident in saying
05:48This is my day's schedule
05:50I will give most of my time to office
05:52But other than that, I have things to do
05:54I have learned to say no
05:56And I think many people should
05:58Learn to say no
06:00Otherwise, people will pile up things on you
06:02How can organizations
06:04Prevent such workplace toxicity?
06:07To listen to the people
06:09Who are going through with it
06:11Instead of ignoring
06:13I myself lead a team of
06:1510 plus team members
06:17In different states
06:19And I think it's difficult for me
06:21If I don't trust my employees
06:23And if I start doing micromanagement
06:25In a day-to-day work-life
06:27Neither me nor my team
06:29Will be able to deliver the results
06:31So, I have to give the open hand
06:33I have to provide them
06:35Complete support
06:37And build the trust
06:39That if you are hired for this role
06:41Since you are leading
06:43A team of 10 people
06:45How do you help your employees
06:47To maintain
06:49A proper work-life balance?
06:51I don't believe in
06:53A clock-type
06:55Of work culture
06:57Where people should
06:59Stay in the office
07:01For the entire shift
07:03I can leave it to them
07:05That you have set roles
07:07It's up to your capability
07:09Sometimes the team comes
07:11And says I'm going beyond my bandwidth
07:13I'm going beyond my workload
07:15So then we discuss
07:17And we try to shuffle some of the workload
07:19Among the other team members
07:21There should be a learning program
07:23For the managers as well
07:25Not just for the people below
07:27It's important to teach people skills
07:29How to manage people is
07:31One of the key roles
07:33For any manager
07:35Not just work
07:37Companies should spend a little
07:39On their training
07:41And for managers
07:43I think the best part is
07:45Trust your employees
07:47What are the boundaries
07:49Which you set at the workplace?
07:51That I'm not available
07:53At all the times
07:55If it's a corporate life
07:57Don't assume that
07:59If you don't do it
08:01It will happen
08:03You can't fear
08:06Just think about yourself
08:08When you were in a struggling age
08:10And give that comfort
08:12The platform to your juniors
08:14I'm sure once you start
08:16Thinking from that way
08:18Once you start building that kind of
08:20Relationship among your team members
08:22They will be able to deliver
08:24More than your expectations
08:26If not
08:28If you keep bothering them
08:30If you keep poking them
08:32On a single thing
08:34It may not be a required work
08:36Or may not be able to
08:38Meet your expectations
08:40That's the clear message to all the managers