Women in Leadership conference tackles toxic workplaces: ‘Workers burnt out, overwhelmed’

LEADERSHIP development coach Pamela Cournoyer has raised concerns about the damaging effects of a toxic workplace culture, which she says is often marked by stress, burnout, poor leadership and low morale.

Cournoyer explained that such a culture is defined by harmful behaviours, attitudes, and practices that hurt employee well-being, lower morale, and reduce productivity. She added that it also comes with a significant financial cost to organisations.

“If you are spending all of your day putting out fires, then you are in a toxic workplace culture.”

She warned about an emotional “toppling effect” that starts with stress and anxiety.

“A decline in self-esteem and confidence goes with the stress and anxiety. Then we start seeing negativity and hostility. People also get physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted. Finally, the toppling effect is overwhelmed, burnout and breakdown.”

Cournoyer spoke on July 9 at the 19th annual Women in Leadership (WIL) Conference, hosted by the UWI-Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business.

The conference was held virtually on Zoom on July 9. This year’s event was themed People, Culture and Performance: Strategies for Women in Power.

Cournoyer is a certified expert in emotional intelligence, team facilitation and mediation.

Her presentation was on the topic, Fixing the foundation: A three-step framework to repair a toxic workplace culture.

She cited studies in the US where billions of dollars are lost yearly due to toxic work environments, to highlight the financial impact of an unhealthy workplace culture.

This results in a high level of absenteeism and a high turnover.

“That means you are losing people all of the time. There is a higher litigation risk. There are increased healthcare costs and a lot of overwhelm, which leads to the toppling effect. So this is not really where we want to be.”

Referring to a recent survey that mirrored results from studies done 15 years ago, Cournoyer said workers largely blame poor communication, unethical, and unaccountable leadership for toxicity.

“Another is unfair treatment, which goes back to leadership, and then they get burnt out and overwhelmed.”

She outlined warning signs of a toxic workplace like unrecognised efforts, lack of professional development, no support from bosses, disrespectful behaviour and dreading the return to work on Monday.

She highlighted that a huge factor in toxicity is underdeveloped emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ).

She added that emotional quotient, and not intelligence, makes the difference in a healthy workplace culture. Based on studies, most people have a low emotional quotient.

Cournoyer recommended several solutions, including frequent communication and implementing effective reporting channels.

“If you do not set up our communication, everything else you do is going to fail,” she said.

She also suggested leadership and staff training and coaching.

She added that toxic behaviour should be addressed and people held accountable.

Leading by example and recognition and rewards for teamwork and positive behaviour should also be incorporated for a healthy workplace culture.

Earlier in the conference, director of executive education, UWI-Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, Jo-Anne Boodoosingh, in her opening remarks acknowledged the impact of women leadership in the workplace.

She praised these women for changing cultures and challenging outdated norms, fostering psychological safety and advocating for equality and equity.

Another speaker, Kathleen Galy, a strategic and transformational financial services executive, presented on the topic Leading with impact: Driving culture and performance through people.

Raised by a “progressive mother” and one of four daughters, Galy said there was never a conversation about limitations or a glass ceiling in her upbringing.

She prefers to be identified as a leader.

She referenced a historical shift in public perception of women in the workplace, praising them for making progress in advancing gender equality.

Galy cited a 1946 survey in which only about 35 per cent of the participants felt that men and women were equally competent.

“Fast forward to 2018, that number moved to 86 per cent,” she said.

She added that women in leadership bring a distinct set of strengths that drive innovation, foster better workplace culture and contribute to profitability.

She praised women for being strong communicators, collaborative, adaptable and resilient.

Galy also shared stories of trailblazing women, such as Mary Barra (CEO of General Motors), Indra Nooyi (former CEO of PepsiCo), and Adena Friedman (the first female CEO of Nasdaq), calling them role models who have helped pave the way for future generations.