SMEs often suffer from an unhealthy work culture, which leads to dissatisfaction of employees and customers, in turn, an unstable business. So why is the work culture unhealthy in small and medium-sized businesses? Let’s pay.
1. Lack of a 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 ensure that activities are carried out as planned and deliver the desired results, you are fostering an unhealthy work environment. The first big mistake SMEs make is that they don’t come up with an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for their business. They don’t have guidelines like how much work needs to be done each day, when stocks need to be restocked, and who is responsible for what work. An SOP is an organized link between the various departments of a company and the lack of an SOP means that when a problem arises, no one is ready to take responsibility for the problem, creating an unhealthy work environment. The blame game never helps, and this kind of unhealthy practice ultimately leads to order delays and dissatisfied customers.
2. Lack of human resources policies
An HR team doesn’t exist in a company just to recruit people and keep payroll. They exist to maintain a healthy relationship with and between 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 with the well-being of employees. People are often not paid on time, do not get their annual, sick and maternity leave, and often do not have pension or FP 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 safe in a small or medium-sized business. How can an employee be his best when there is no job security? When is there no confirmation that you get paid at the right time? Therefore, the lack of a human resources 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 is often not appreciated. This type of negative attitude generates distrust and low morale among employees; employees do not have expectations of appreciation 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 employees is not respected in the type of organization. There is a clear lack of communication between the business owner and employees, and employees are often made aware of a decision after its implementation. 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, peace-loving employees? Its staff come from different backgrounds, have different personalities and qualifications. An SME is often based on the concept that minor problems between employees will dissolve on their own, 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 zeal for teamwork to get a better hike or promotion. This type of behavior must be handled with strong hands. In SMEs, supervisors and managers often ignore these problems and focus only on productivity; ultimately promoting individualism. There is no one who offers adequate solutions to insults and conflicts. In such a negative environment, employees are always dissatisfied and deprived.
So is your company facing these same problems? Is the work culture really toxic? Fix the above-mentioned problems to get a healthy work 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 maintain its strength in the market.
