At Siffi we talk a lot about the importance of creating a well-being culture in companies.
Before diving into deeper health topics, it’s worth taking a step back. Everyday behaviours play a bigger role in team wellbeing than we might expect.
There are four management traits that can undermine any effort to build a positive and healthy workplace culture.
We observe toxicity when a company chooses to value results over everything else and at all costs.
As long as KPIs are met, the way people are treated or treat each other does not matter. If people bring results, they will advance.
According to a 2022 survey by McKinsey on toxicity in the workplace, more than 60% of negative workplace outcomes (burnout symptoms, intent to leave) are due to toxic workplace behaviors.
Some “obvious” toxicity behaviors are yelling, bullying, or belittling. Others are more sly like omitting to invite someone to a meeting that impacts them, withholding important information, micromanagement, or encouraging gossip.
We see mediocracy in companies that, on the contrary, are only valuing personal relationships over results and will advantage someone who is more alike them rather than someone who delivers better work.
Management that avoids confrontation, is always going with “the way it’s always been done” and favors team members they have relationships with, tend to create a culture of mediocracy in which people stay because of comfort rather than inspiration, healthy challenge, or opportunity to thrive.
Ever got an idea killed by the amount of paperwork you had to fill in to put it in motion?
That is the sin of bureaucracy. When there are so many rules, creativity is suppressed.
Of course, without any rules it is chaos.
Some companies are all about “freedom” and lack the structure that will make people feel safe. Without restrictions, guidelines, or even common values, a culture of anarchy can quickly kill any sense of belonging or team spirit and cultivate an “all for themselves” mindset.
Do you recognize any of these traits in your team?
Check out our piece on how to build a strong company culture and hopefully avoid those sins!
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Yes. In fact, they often go hand-in-hand. In a culture of Anarchy (lack of clear rules/values), toxic individuals often seize the power vacuum to bully or micromanage others. Without a structured framework for accountability, toxicity can thrive unchecked, leading to a rapid decline in psychological safety.
The key differentiator is innovation and challenge. A stable, healthy culture provides comfort but also encourages employees to grow and suggest new ideas. In a culture of Mediocracy, employees feel “safe” only if they don’t rock the boat. If “fitting in” is more important than “performing well,” you are likely dealing with mediocracy.
The solution is Progressive Leadership. By moving toward outcome-based management, you can strip away unnecessary paperwork (bureaucracy) while maintaining clear goals and common values (the antidote to anarchy). It’s about replacing “rules for the sake of rules” with “trust supported by clear expectations.”
While all four are damaging, toxicity has the highest direct financial cost. Research shows that toxic behavior is the #1 predictor of turnover, which, in specialized industries, can cost up to 2x an employee’s annual salary to rectify. Furthermore, toxicity stifles the collaboration needed for the innovation that drives modern business growth.
About the author
Psychology Content Writer at Siffi
Morgane crafts compassionate, engaging content that makes mental health conversations more human and accessible. At Siffi, she combines storytelling with strategy to foster a culture of care and connection in the workplace.
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