Why do startup founders need therapy? Toxic management patterns and how to avoid them

Despite the charm of mid-day ping pong tournaments and beanbags, we’re all aware of the dark side of startup culture – infinite work hours, loose division of responsibilities and a never-ending pile of urgent tasks in the pipeline. While some of these signs are a temporary toothache that needs to be merely outgrown, other startup characteristics can become rooted in the company, morphing into toxic companions. 

We have gathered a list of some of the most popular red flags that signal the presence of these toxic energy vampires. If you spot any of these signs in your workplace, do not feel ashamed to voice your concerns. While they may be an unpleasant presence, all of them can be dealt with. 

Lack of core values

In the day-to-day life of startups, founders have to come up with answers to countless questions and various alternatives may weigh equally well. In these situations, the founder’s only roadmap is the core values of the company. These are the driving force of an organisation — not having core values means your culture is likely to progress without any sense of direction. 

Solution: As you can imagine, the solution to this issue is very straightforward – take a break, pause and define your guiding principles, aims and objectives. Then go over each value with the rest of the team. Doing so will help elicit positive behaviours and attitudes, creating a cohesive company culture. These should be communicated clearly and regularly to all members of the team. 

Unhealthy competition

Competition is like an intense spice – add a little and the whole recipe will improve, but throw in too much and you will need to start everything from scratch. Moderate competition motivates employees to improve and consequently grow the company, yet an excess of competition is set to nurture animosity amongst workers. 

Solution: Keep your eyes open. At the moment you notice the first signs of unhealthy competition, it is a good time to re-evaluate whether you’re not putting too much emphasis on performance rather than securing a pleasant work environment. To avoid sending great employees packing, recognise performance on a broader scale and outside the confines of monetary rewards.

Employee absence and indifference

Too much competition is deadly, but lack of motivation is also problematic. Employee absenteeism and indifference derives from two primary causes – either they’re just lazy employees or they’re disengaged from the work of the company. If an employee is frequently looking for ways to leave the desk early or has a row of other appointments planned (we’re not talking about remote work), they’re likely disinterested and not passionate about their work.

Solution: Don’t punish the employee. Start by looking at their direct supervisors. People may model their behaviour from their direct manager. If they think their superiors can get away with this attitude, they borrow it from them. In addition, you can engage your HR department to see how your team tracks sick days, doctor appointments and other approved absences. Of course, you should be open to discussing personal matters and extenuating circumstances.

Working through lunch and on weekends

We all recognise the stressful periods before an important deadline, during which the last nights are spent in the office. While it is completely normal for these situations to happen sporadically, they should not become the new normal. If overworking becomes a habit, it is necessary to ask whether the workflow or task completion is managed efficiently. Alternatively, it could happen that employees have an overly strict image of the managers that could contribute to a toxic atmosphere in the office. 

Solution: One possible solution is to lead by example – start by taking lunch breaks and sharing stories from weekend holidays yourself. Encourage your colleagues to join. Occasionally providing food for the office is a great way to impose a midday break, get to know your team and allow employees to socialise with their peers.

Managers criticising employees

Whether this colleague is the most productive and irreplaceable worker or the laziest person in the world – the boss should never externally talk badly about his employees. This backfires on the manager himself and his ability to motivate employees, as well as the company’s capacity to attract and retain talent. Employees make mistakes, sometimes grave ones. A toxic work culture makes a big deal out of these errors by calling out employees by name.

Solution: Praise publicly and criticise privately. Any mistake is a chance to learn and grow for both the employee and their manager. A healthy work environment enables employees to learn from their errors without shame.