While organizational learning and development departments are and absolute must have; it turns out that most managements may not be totally satisfied by the returns on their investments.

It is not important to just have a L&D department but also to clearly define the culture which will guide learning in the org. Here are 10 mistakes you could avoid to get the best RoI from your learning and development initiatives.

1. Lack of time and competing priorities – employees are so tied up and overwhelmed with daily tasks and meetings that it becomes increasingly difficult for them to prioritize. Learning and development or training takes a back seat to anything that supports business directly. Immediate and urgent takes precedence over what is important in the long term. You tend to hear employees complaining about their need to work on some urgent tasks for their lack of attendance in training sessions. Even though you would have given enough notice about the impending training. If you find this excuse often in your company then you know learning and development isn’t really a priority for you.
2. Lack of motivation – most learning and development initiatives are either not marketed well or you find managers frequently pulling out people from training sessions. This has a direct impact on employee motivation as they start to perceive training to be low priority. Added to that employees fail to see the value or benefit of learning and development initiatives to their personal success. Most training sessions end up being boring as well because of the lack of personal connect and attendees start to leave early or outright skip such sessions.
3. Limited budgets – most companies while being aware of the need for continual learning to remain at the cutting edge of business, compromise when it comes to allocating budgets for training. While you find that the number of programs have increased year on year, the budgets somehow remain the same or at times even cut down. Human resource managers struggle to get the requisite budgets from the businesses for implementing training and development. In fact almost all of their energies gets spent on getting approvals leaving them exhausted and demotivated in the process. Very rarely do I find HR managers getting the kind of freedom and authority to initiate learning and development. They end up cutting corners and at times compromise leading to incompleteness and subsequent demotivation of the participant and themselves. It is a vicious cycle.
4. Poor timing – “You can’t start digging a well when you are already thirsty”. Many times training is delayed to the extent that it turns out to be more ‘reactive’ than ‘proactive’. We all know that training will help us prepare for the future, however, we undertake programs only when it really starts to hurt our business. I’ve seen companies asking me to conduct urgent ‘communication and cross-cultural skills’ programs after they have lost a client or got a strong feedback. They also ask me to conduct a 1-2 days program to improve language skills. This is ridiculous. How do you expect an employee who has poor communicative ability for all these years to improve in 2 days?
5. Training targets and information overload – while it’s good to have targeted training programs but you cannot keep targets for training. That’s what it turns out to be for most human resource managers. Conducting ‘x’ no. of training hours becomes the focus than what is required for the long term. As deadlines for reviews approach, there is a flurry of training activity and in organizations where manager review includes the no. of training hours they have facilitated for their team members, capacity utilization becomes the norm. Employees at times are put through day long programs where there is information overload leading to training fatigue and disinterest.
6. More ‘Push’ than ‘Pull’ – when employees are made to attend a series of so-called mandated programs, there is least amount of interest shown. People go through the motions of attending such programs and getting a tick against their training hour checklist. Companies do not invest enough time and resources in marketing programs to create a pull where employees self-nominate for learning initiatives and developmental programs.
7. Attempts to make ‘Horses’ fly – You find in organizations there is so much emphasis on role specific training that very little attention is paid as to the ‘developability’ of certain skill sets in employees. Training programs become places where you flog the horse and expect it to fly. You can’t blame the training to have failed in such instances.
8. Neglecting the follow through – When there is no follow through or reviews of progress is delayed the effectiveness of any developmental initiative is negated. I’ve in my own experience found that the action plans drawn out with great enthusiasm during the program are kept aside and employees slip back to their daily routines. At times their sponsoring managers negate or respond to request for support with cynicism leading to demotivation amongst fellow team members. You also find that employees are not provided time or a supportive environment where they can practice the lessons learnt leading to poor outcome. Any request for follow through and reviews are postponed in the urgency of the daily tasks that people forget their learnings. We also find that employees resort to implementing parts of action plan so that they don’t have to cut a sorry figure during a review meet; not because they truly cared.
9. Over reliance on technology – Sometimes we want to believe that technology will solve all our training problems, but a mobile app or even e-learning authoring tool alone will not guarantee the success of a corporate training program. And selecting technology that doesn’t align with the company’s specific needs can also be a mistake.
10. Cost cutting and internal training – While having a large posse of internal trainers definitely helps in cutting costs for hiring outside experts and professionals, it often proves counter-productive. People are far less inclined to listen to their colleagues and are not willing to easily give the internal trainers the pedestal of an expert. Internal trainers in their attempt to please their colleagues are not tough while providing feedback and that effects their ability to coach others. They find it difficult to take an unbiased view and are frequently seen to be pushing the managements agenda in their training. ‘Trust’ is the primary factor they need to constantly fight against. Also, at times there is a feeling that if we ask managers to be coaches and facilitators of learning will save us not just costs but provide the benefit of their experience. We all know that great managers may not always be good coaches.

Cultural toxicity is something organizations need to pay attention to. A toxic workplace is not immediately visible in organizations which are caught up in their daily run for business growth but does exist in the underbelly. Waiting to raise a ‘stench’ which then becomes increasingly nauseating and difficult to grapple with. Some do try temporary quick-fixes which act more like using a room freshener which just helps you get through the day but not really remove the toxic garbage which lies underneath.

Here are 21 signs that you have a toxic work culture.

1. Gossip becomes the primary form of information flow. When your employees rely on and respond to gossip, it is a sign that your work culture is not transparent. You reach a point that your employees are not able to differentiate between real vs. gossip.
2. Unsafe to share with fellow employees. When you find that information shared with others in confidentiality or with trust and that is used then against or to manipulate. People tend to then be reserved and do not freely share their thoughts with each other for the fear of being taken advantage of.
3. Lack of openness is the result of the above. People unsure how information is being used and unclear about the agenda of others. This leads to suspicion and people start to become closed.
4. Lacking in sensitivity when dealing with each other. When you find people making fun of others; bullying or frequently targeting vulnerable people, it is a sign that there exists complete lack of sensitivity. When friendly banter turns into hurtful comments or actions, people tend to withdraw or simply wait for the opportunity to get one back on the others.
5. Lack of integrity when you find people don’t walk-the-talk. Especially so, when your Managers are perceived to be preaching one thing and practicing the other. People don’t stick to their promises or commitment and are not honest with each other. You also find that people have put on a mask and are not authentic in their transactions with others.
6. Lack of empathy and listening is a major sign of a toxic work culture. When employees find that their managers are not in a mood to listen or understand their views or situation, very limited feedback flows. Managers in such organizations take decisions which are purely based on their own agendas or perceptions leading to resentment. People in such places do not find themselves included and wait or pray for failure of every decision the manager makes.
7. Lack of feedback amongst the employees. When you find that people find it more convenient to gossip or back-bite and are not direct in their feedback. When managers do not seek regular one-on-one feedback from their team. Worst still employees find that their feedback is not valued or worked upon. Lack of feedback – both giving and receiving leads to a large blind spot in your work and it is a toxic time bomb waiting to explode.
8. Disconnect with core values and the actions When employees feel that the core values are just in print and on their website and not visible in the actions of their colleagues. They do not completely understand the values and the related behaviors and are left to interpret it for themselves.
9. Managers don’t live by or demonstrate values When managers themselves either not demonstrate or worse take actions which are against the core values, people stop believing in their communication.
10. People not owning up their responsibility and frequently take cover by ‘blaming’ others or start externalizing problems. You also find that in toxic workplaces people are tentative or unsure of taking up new responsibilities and ownership of their roles. They are unsure also of the boundaries of their work and the authority they have to make an impact.
11. Strong Clans and cliques exist with boundaries when you find that there are office cliques and clans which are tight groups within teams. You find that such clans are also heavily guarded and do not allow access to others easily. It starts to become like an exclusive club where membership is not easy to get. You see visible signs of such cliques in the office cafeteria.
12. No incentive for collaborating when you find a lot of talk about the need to collaborate but all rewards and recognition is given to individual performance. People tend to compete and find no incentive in working with each other.
13. Employee attrition more than industry average clearly indicates that there is something the management is not sensitive about and / or are not seeking regular feedback. It also indicates that the managers lack sensitivity in dealing with people issues. It’s now cliched to say that employees don’t quit organizations, they quit their boss.
14. Long work hours are the order of the day and employees are found to be working late almost regularly. You see visible signs that employees are stressed and have started to report sick frequently or show signs of irritability at the end of each work day.
15. Little or no attention to employees personal development when almost all developmental efforts are seen to be only benefitting the company and not the employee. The question people have started to ask is “What’s in it for me?”
16. People skipping scheduled meetings or company / group events when this starts to happen it is a clear indication that your employees are feeling disengaged and have started to prioritize differently from group needs. It is also indicates a general lack of motivation. When you find that meetings are long and often not providing the intended outcomes. When people find that they are exhausted at the end of a meeting and complain that they could have done something other than being there, then it is a clear sign of disengagement.
17. Silos when teams and people operate in ‘silos’. They confine themselves to just their work and are not really concerned about the impact their actions have on other parts. They don’t look for points of collaboration or sharing and learning across teams. You find that there exists several processes which are repeated leading to duplicity.
18. ‘Can’t or ‘cannot’ being the first response to any change when you find that people use all their creative faculties to frequently come with reasons as to how things can’t change or cannot be done. People are ‘problem’ than ‘solution focused in their work.
19. Limited off-the-work socializing amongst employees when you find that employees confine their relationships purely to business and rarely socialize outside of office. They are distant with no bonding which carries back to work as well.
20. Employees always asking for more from the company when people in your company are frequently asking the management for more. You find that rarely do people in your workspace think about what they can do and bring as value to the company. Always complaining about the ‘lack of’ than focused on what they ‘already have’. They are never satisfied.
21. Boredom has set in and people feel that their work has turned into a routine and they are doing the same things again and again; day-in and day-out. They don’t find the work challenging their abilities and there is no excitement or fun at work. People are always talking about how coming to work is a drag and start looking forward to the weekend by the middle of week itself. Your people suffer from the typical ‘Monday morning’ blues.

If you wish to find out if your workspace is toxic and is taking a toll on your employees, its time for conducting an ‘Energy Audit’ of your company. Write to me if this interests you…

Didn’t you feel an instant uplift in your moods after a thorough cleaning and organizing of your home space? It’s the same with your office space as well. Employees today spend almost 60% of their time at work and it becomes imperative for companies to invest in providing a clean workspace which can boost their productivity.

Did you know that a typical office workstation or keyboard can contain as many as 7,500 bacteria at any given moment? Or that viruses like the flu can linger on office desks or computers for 24 hours or more?

These frightening statistics reveal just how an unclean office environment can have a negative impact on workplace productivity. for numerous reasons. It becomes harder to motivate yourself to work your best when you are confronted with a filthy office every morning.

Working in a clean, healthy environment can have a major impact on how people feel and behave in the workplace. They may love their job, but on those bad days, a bright and clean workspace can help lift their moods and keep them productive. In an unclean or cluttered workspace, frustrations can mount more quickly and bad days and problems seem to only get worse.

Going too long with an unclean environment can put even the health of your employees at risk. Unfortunately, most assume that people carry their illness from outside and pay little attention to what is happening in the environment where they spend most of their time in a day. Even schools for that matter blame the student for getting a cold or flu and spreading it to the entire class. Have you ever thought about how much attention is paid to the hygiene and cleanliness in a classroom? The environment for a child is equally stressful as much as it is for employees at work. We all agree that a stressful environment is the prime contributor towards reducing your body’s defences against cold or flu viruses.

A clean workplace improves air quality and reduces the spread of germs and bacteria, and that cuts down on sick days and absenteeism. When your workers are healthy, they’ll have more energy and feel more creative, resulting in improved performance and a boost in business.

A clean workspace benefits not just your employees but also has a positive impact on customer service as well, particularly if you have customers visit your office. Your workspace right from the welcome mat to reception and washrooms can make your visitors feel confident about your attention to detail and professionalism in turn to work with you.

Whether you seek to attract new customers or prospective employees even the smallest detail of a clean, bright and vibrant work environment can provide you with a competitive advantage. When was the last time you conducted a ‘cleanliness audit’? Start doing it now.

Dress up your office, give it a makeover, get it ready as you would on the day of your wedding. Don’t you spend more time wedded to your office than to your life partner afterall? 😊