SMEs often suffer from an unhealthy work culture, which leads to employee and customer dissatisfaction, which in turn creates business instability. So why is the work culture unhealthy in small and medium-sized companies? Let’s pay.
1. Lack of an SOP
A structured approach to any problem is very important to get the right solution. If you don’t have a system in place to make sure activities are carried out as planned and deliver the desired results, you are fostering an unhealthy work environment. The first big mistake SMBs make is that they don’t frame a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for their business. They don’t have guidelines like how much work needs to be done each day, when stock needs to be replenished, and who is responsible for what work. An SOP is an organized link between the different departments of a company and the lack of an SOP means that when a problem arises, no one is ready to deal with it, leading to an unhealthy work environment. The blame game never helps and this type of unhealthy practice ultimately leads to order delays and dissatisfied customers.
2. Lack of HR policies
A human resources team does not exist in a company just to recruit people and maintain the payroll. They exist to maintain a healthy relationship with and among employees; they exist to solve employee problems and maintain transparency in all dealings with employees. An SME often lacks an efficient HR department and concrete HR policies. These companies have more to do with making money than looking at the welfare of employees. People often don’t get paid on time, don’t get annual, sick and maternity leave, and often don’t have FP or pension accounts; furthermore, there is no specific policy regarding the departure of an employee. This is the reason why people always feel that their job is not secure in a small or medium business. How can an employee do their best when there is no job security? When there is no confirmation that I get paid at the right time? Therefore, the lack of a HR policy leads to an unhealthy work culture.
3. Toxic middle managers
In a small and medium-sized company, power is concentrated in a few hands. Middle managers feel more talented and superior than the rest and always try to take credit for the work of others. They are often biased and good work often goes unappreciated. This type of negative attitude generates mistrust and low morale among employees; employees do not have expectations of recognition and rewards and therefore productivity deteriorates.
4. Autonomy
In a small or medium business, what the owner says is the final decision. The voice of the employees is not respected in the type of organization. There is a clear lack of communication between the business owner and the employees and it is often the case that the employees are made aware of a decision after it is implemented. In this type of environment, employees do not feel part of the company, which creates an unhealthy work culture.
5. Employee conflict
Now, when there is no proper management, how can an organization have loyal and peace-loving employees? Your staff come from different backgrounds, have different personalities and qualifications. An SME is often based on the concept that minor issues between employees will resolve themselves, which is inappropriate as over time, these small conflicts become huge and lead to a destructive work environment. Unhealthy work culture is also caused by unhealthy competition among employees. People tend to insult each other and lack the fervor for teamwork to get better promotions or promotions. This type of behavior must be handled with strong hands. In SMEs, supervisors and managers often ignore these issues and focus only on productivity; ultimately promote individualism. There is no one who offers adequate solutions to insults and conflicts. In such a negative environment, employees always feel dissatisfied and deprived.
So is your business facing these same issues? Is Work Culture Really Toxic? Fix the problems mentioned above to get a healthy working environment; have happy employees, happy customers and a sustainable business. If you dream of going big and transforming your business into a brand, frame the SOP and learn best practices from industry experts who have been able to stay strong in the marketplace.
