Five Signs That Your Culture's In Trouble

Is your culture normal? Many things that we wish wouldn't happen, do happen every day in a normal office. Deadlines are missed, people don't get along with one another, someone breaks the rules. All of these things are normal, day-to-day problems that can be easily dealt with.

But if you're seeing some of the signals below from your staff, you need to take action immediately:

1. The leadership is reactive rather than proactive
   
   When leadership is good, proactive things happen, and workers are all generally moving toward a positive goal. 
   
   When management is reactive, all work in the office is focused on solving problems. In a reactive environment, it is very difficult to make progress. 
   
   
2. More than 50% of the time, 100% of the staff aren't working
   
   I often ask managers how productive they think their employees are. The normal response is 50%. This means that 50% of the time, most managers feel that their staff are producing a good result.
   
   If staff are less productive than this, it is a sure sign that there are problems. Rather than working, staff are either complaining about their supervisors or consumed with senseless tasks.
   
   
3. The staff mutinies
   
   A staff mutiny is most often tied to safety issues. Employees feel that if they continue to work, they'll be in danger of having an accident. When an entire staff refuses to work, it's a big sign there is a problem. 
   
   
4. Most of the staff complain about the leadership
   
   It's normal for everyone to complain about their supervisor sometimes, especially just after a new policy or procedure is put into place. What is abnormal is if all of the staff are complaining about the leadership all of the time!
   
   
5. Good, well-respected workers resign
   
   A normal office has a steady flow of workers in and out. What is abnormal is entire departments turning over each year or a steady outflow of your best workers.

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