They will take care of the company.

I once worked for a company where the president’s motto was “self-interest is my only interest.” Human resources didn’t share his attitude, but it somehow infiltrated organizational practices and values, poisoning the corporate culture. Workplace morale was low, distrust of senior leadership widespread, and staff resignations commonplace.

When employee interests regularly take a backseat, everyone loses—including the corporation. As Tony Roithmayr, president of the Calgary consulting firm Performance by Design, explains in our cover story, sometimes the pressure to be profitable compels employers to “squeeze the most they can out of workers to get the job done [and] the cost is employee well-being.” Such attitudes, he says, actually impede worker productivity and breed resentment, stress and, in some cases, mental disorders.

Some well-meaning employers might refer a distressed employee to the employee-assistance program or a stress management workshop. A few might even suggest a stress leave. But such efforts are doomed if the underlying problem with the work environment remains unaddressed. “Asking employees to personally manage their stress levels in a workplace where they are not valued or respected is like asking people with asthma to remember their puffers while working in a smog-infested environment,” says Mary Ann Baynton, director of the Mental Health Works program at the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Ontario division.

Employers have more reasons than just promoting goodwill to clean up their workplace cultures. Research consistently shows that organizations with supportive work environments are more productive and profitable, with higher rates of employee retention and customer satisfaction than companies lacking people focus and skills.

Changing a workplace culture doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a thorough “housecleaning” in which negative behaviours and attitudes are removed and replaced with positive alternatives. Culture change also necessitates a commitment from all levels of the organization—from the top down.

If your company is undergoing a positive cultural transformation, or has recently gone through one, tell us about it. Send an email to nancy.kuyumcu@rci.rogers.com.

For a PDF version of this article, click here.

© Copyright 2008 Rogers Publishing Ltd. This article first appeared in the February 2008 edition of WORKING WELL magazine.