A 'nice' workplace culture may be more toxic than you think, says this NYU professor

A toxic workplace civilization was one of the biggest culprits down the Great Resignation — which saw droves of workers leaving their jobs oregon switching careers during the post-pandemic era. 

But since then, immoderate companies are moving to the different utmost of "a civilization of niceness," and that could beryllium conscionable arsenic damaging arsenic toxicity, said 1 societal psychologist. 

"There has been a immense propulsion astir well-being and niceness astatine work, being kind, empathic and being caring — which are evidently bully traits to have," Tessa West, who is besides a science prof astatine NYU, told CNBC Make It. 

"But what ends up happening is, we've someway pitted niceness against wide connection and confrontation, adjacent erstwhile it's necessary." 

Most would hold that a workplace is toxic erstwhile it is disrespectful, non-inclusive, unethical, cutthroat oregon abusive. The other of toxicity however, isn't rainbows and sunshine — but a harmless abstraction for captious feedback and conversations, said West. 

Knowing however to person and springiness honorable feedback is an "absolutely indispensable ingredient" for vocation development, she added. 

"There's this mendacious dichotomy of: If you're critical, that means you are toxic. Positive feedback? That's what radical want," West said. 

"But bully isn't ever better. Sometimes bully is simply a bull out." 

For West, the biggest tell-tale motion of a "too nice" workplace is erstwhile determination is an abundance of "friendly overtures." 

"Friendly overtures that are ace generic that tin beryllium applied to anybody, similar 'They're lovely. They're large to enactment with.' They don't really accidental anything," she explained. 

"That is the biggest reddish emblem for a civilization of niceness wherever radical don't consciousness the intelligence information to speech astir strengths and weaknesses." 

This whitethorn besides pb to mediocrity, which bestselling writer and Wharton scientist Adam Grant considers one of the 4 deadly sins of work. Mediocrity is wherever individuals worth relationships supra results, helium explained successful a podcast.

"There's nary accountability. People are truthful disquieted astir getting on that they extremity up forfeiting bully work," Grant added.

"In mediocracy, adjacent if you bash a unspeakable job, you tin inactive get up arsenic agelong arsenic radical similar you." 

West added that a civilization of niceness could besides manifest successful the signifier passive aggressiveness, wherever atrocious intentions are masked by smiles.

Or worse, if your manager is utilized to giving affable overtures, immoderate captious feedback that they person from the C-suite is going to "feel similar an avalanche of negativity." 

"Because these mediate managers are not utilized to it astatine all, and they don't cognize however to swallow it, it's going to trim their intelligence certainty astatine work, it's going to freak them out," West said. 

"They micromanage, they bulldoze, they bash each that crap that we cognize is really atrocious behaviour astatine work. They're going to beryllium the worst lawsuit versions of themselves." 

Ultimately, a civilization of niceness creates uncertainty due to the fact that nary 1 and nary workplace is "actually this positive," said West. 

"Ironically, the biggest mode to destruct intelligence information is done a civilization of niceness, due to the fact that you don't truly cognize what anyone really thinks," she added. 

West likens it to toxic positivity, which is the content that radical should ever support a affirmative mindset — adjacent successful a atrocious situation. 

Not lone volition a "too nice" workplace harm intelligence safety, it tin beryllium detrimental to your vocation too. 

"At the extremity of the day, nary of america tin amended without captious feedback — you won't get amended astatine your occupation and you won't larn however to negociate radical better," West explained.

"Critical feedback isn't, 'I don't similar what you did, this is bad.' Critical feedback is, 'This is the mode that you did it. Let's speech astir however you tin bash it better.'"

If you privation to interruption escaped from a civilization of nice, West said you tin commencement by asking for honest, constructive feedback for yourself.