"Toxic Work Environment", (an alternative perspective from the kitchen)

This article has been prompted by a new Hive concept; “Toxicity at Work”, by
@David Navarro López and @Ali Anani ,

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@david-navarro-lopez/new-hive-toxicity-at-work

"Toxicity" can be broken down to "intent", "perspective", "interpretation" and "motivation"; it is an extremely subjective and nebulous topic and is definitely the responsibility of management, (as well as the possibility that management might be the DIRECT CAUSE), as David B. Grinberg illustrates so well in his articles, and can be very problematic to recognize and rectify.

I'm speaking from a professional kitchen perspective, which admittedly is not a "typical" work environment, but the principles are the same in any work place, a "toxic environment" negatively impacts any and every walk of life. The law of momentum also applies in that the larger the operation the more difficult it is to control and eliminate it.

While there are many aspects that can be discussed at great length on this topic I will concentrate on the "pro-active" manager that strives to rectify problems on an ongoing basis. I'm not discounting the "problem manager" that can be the cause of the issue but that is a whole other "animal" that can be discussed at great length on another thread, (as David B. Grinberg has done).

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@dbgrinberg/memo-to-ceos-fire-monster-managers-now

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@dbgrinberg/how-to-engage-or-elude-monster-managers

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@https-www-linkedin-com-in-davidgrinberg/should-managers-be-feared-or-loved

It is the responsibility of management/owners to provide a positive, supportive and healthy environment for their employees, and ultimately it is in their BEST interest and in the best interest of the company/operation/business to do so, (any manager that does not realize and embrace this fact is lost).

@Ali Anani writes an excellent article as to why employees become toxic, (unsupportive environment)

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@ali-anani/the-hidden-aspects-of-toxic-employees

Another great article by Anne Thornley-Brown, MBA defines a typical example of the cause and symptom of a toxic work environment;

https://www.bebee.com/producer/@anne-thornley-brown/backbiting-a-symptom-of-toxic-work-cultures

Professional kitchen workers, (from dishwasher to Executive Chef), have traditionally always been multi-ethnic, kitchens are a "melting pot" of diverse cultures and nationalities. As a W.A.S.P. (White Anglo Saxon Protestant), I have been a minority in every kitchen I've ever worked in both in Canada, (for 20 years), and in my travels of 20 years around the world. It has been a fantastic experience and incredible learning opportunity; BUT it also has the potential for a volatile situation especially when the "pressure" is on in a hot busy kitchen, (especially with a variety of sharp knives, large metal pots and other lethal weapons readily at hand).

This is a perfect example, (just one of many), of the type of situation/circumstance can be turned "toxic" by the WRONG;

- "Intent"

- "Perspective"

- "Interpretation"

- "Motivation"

Kitchens are very disciplined and it is up to the Chef, (who is the "Manager" of the kitchen, and hence forth throughout this article “manager” and “Chef” are interchangeable), to maintain that discipline. "Toxicity" is perceived when certain behavior is interpreted as malicious. From my experience in the kitchen, (I can't say for other work places), 95% of the time an “issue” can be "chalked up" to a simple misunderstanding, especially given the international makeup of everyone involved, and can be resolved quickly and amicably; which is why it's so important to hit any issue head on and immediately, and especially so when it is that rare 5% when there is a bonafide issue of someone deliberately cultivating a toxic environment; the biggest issue with "toxicity" is letting it go to grow, again the law of momentum applies; the longer it festers, the larger the problem gets hence the more time, attention and energy it will take to resolve. Here is an excerpt on discipline from an article that I wrote about Stress;

"Discipline; “A kitchen without discipline is Anarchy". This begins with YOU, personally developing self-discipline. Being in the kitchen means being part of a "team", as such you have an obligation to the rest of your team to take responsibility for your "Sphere of Control", which includes personal "stress management". Chefs and Managers have an obligation to cultivate discipline in the work environment for everyone's benefit, which includes "stress management" in the kitchen.

Anarchy generates stress; discipline instills sanity, consistency, unity, and purpose. Just because the kitchen is "disciplined" does not mean that it is not a relaxed, comfortable environment; on the contrary it is actually more fun, more fulfilling and gratifying because it is stress free. Don't misunderstand this point due to the negative connotations associated with this word; a "disciplined" kitchen really is a pleasure to work in.

Discipline, and self-discipline, reduces fear."

( https://www.bebee.com/producer/@randall-burns/stress-the-dynamics-in-a-professional-kitchen ).

A manager needs to be disciplined, fearless and above all, a leader. It is from this base that the manager can cope and rectify the issues as they arise. They also need to take responsibility and expect every employee to take responsibility as well. This is a reasonable expectation and can be cultivated through communication, training and mentoring.

Lead by Example!

The kitchen, (Food & Beverage operations of any kind), virtually any business is “Customer oriented”, and that aspect is heavily emphasized in the kitchen. This is the common thread, the mutual goal that the manager needs to cultivate in every employee. Instilling this credo into your employees minimizes the chance of friction, lessens the opportunities for disagreements/conflicts to set in due to the fact that any other behaviour which negates that priority is contrary to everyone’s final goal. Friction/disagreements/conflicts are the doorway to allow “toxicity” to enter the workplace. By getting everyone on the same wavelength it suddenly becomes crystal clear as to what the appropriate behaviour is in the workplace, and everyone understands that they’re on the same team.

“The customer is the #1 priority”; this “mission statement” is the hinge that is used in the kitchen to help get everyone onto the same page.

This is a major job for a manager and I’m going to repeat myself;

Lead by Example!

As I alluded to initially this topic can be a quagmire, a nightmare to try to navigate through due to the nebulous aspects of;

- "Intent"

- "Perspective"

- "Interpretation"

- "Motivation"

Not to mention the emotional attachments that can be connected to all of these aspects; so how to approach the problem?

It’s very simple: there is a “Correct” intent, perspective, interpretation, and motivation that the manager must instill in every employee that’s goes “hand in hand” with their “mission statement”/priority/ultimate goal; anything else is “Incorrect” and needs to be rectified! Do not get lost in the “hows and whys”, reasons or details of the incorrectness, it doesn’t really matter, don’t let that aspect distract you; stay focused on the goal of correcting.

I was taught, and I have confirmed through experience that there are basically 2 reasons why employee issues arise in the kitchen, (or any other workplace);

Ignorance or Negligence

This can be applied directly to coping with, recognizing a plan of action and rectifying “Toxicity” in the workplace.

Ignorance; is rectified through “education”; communication, coaching, training, mentoring, etc. There is no “blame” here, no one knows everything, especially in the kitchen, and there is no such thing as “a stupid question”. As I stated previously about 95% of the issues/conflicts that arise in the kitchen are due to misunderstandings, no one is at fault and the solution is a matter of “educating” the persons involved. Once it’s clear to everyone that there was no malicious “intent” intended the subject is dropped. Again it’s very important to deal with circumstances immediately as even a small misunderstanding not resolved can escalate dramatically under its own momentum and can become “toxic” from its own energy.

Negligence; is rectified through disciplinary action leading up to and including termination. Negligence is the willful act of behaving contrary to company policy, “mission statement”, labour codes and laws, all of which include extensive and comprehensive anti-harassment rules, laws and policies. Inaction or ignoring of circumstances, like harassment in the workplace which you have witnessed and choose to ignore can also be construed as negligence. Cultivating or contributing to a toxic work environment is Harassment. Management that allows a toxic environment to develop without proactively intervening to remedy the situation can be held liable and Negligent for allowing harassment in the workplace.

As severe as that last paragraph sounds I wanted to illustrate that there is a “brick wall” and without intervention a “toxic environment” running rampant will eventually hit that “brick wall”, not good for anyone.

This “Buzz” started out as a simple comment and as I was writing it onto @Franci Eugenia Hoffman ‘s share of the original “Toxicity at work” post it kept growing and growing, almost like it has a mind of its own. I have put forth some ideas and concepts that could be expanded upon exponentially but I feel like it’s been too long winded already, hopefully it will open the door for some further discussion.

The bottom line is that “Toxicity at Work” is a fact of life, but through proper management using communication, training, mentoring, and disciplining when needed, it can be controlled and eliminated. The best advice that I can give anyone? (and yes I'm going to repeat myself again)

    Lead by Example!

   Happy Cooking Everyone!