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How Nigerian Startups Can Get More Out Of Employees Without Being Toxic

Emmanuel Nnaemeka
  Nigerian startups have been reputed for being too toxic. Many ex-employees have openly reported to several news mediums about how former startup bosses were inhumane to them, how startups were occasionally filled with so much bile and hate coming from employers to employees. Twitter on Monday, 21 March 2022, was on fire over a famous toxic boss of a fast-rising FinTech startup and his ex-employees. The relationship was that of bile, bitterness and crudeness from this boss to his employees.
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This repeated narrative about toxic workplaces in Nigeria is fast becoming commonplace and very alarming. According to a study, toxic workplaces were the fifth leading cause of death, according to research from 2018. That’s a little shocking and seems overdramatic. There are features of a toxic workplace, they include: overwork, stress, and bullying, which can lead to workplace violence, substance abuse, safety issues, and suicide. Throw in a terrible work-life balance (a classic element in a toxic work environment) and the exhaustion that comes from it, and you’ve practically poisoned the entire well for everyone associated with the employee trapped in the job. In this article, we shall look at how startups can get more from their employees without being toxic. One of the signs of a toxic workplace is that there is a lack of ethical values and visions. Furthermore, toxic workplaces don’t have visions and values that they follow or stick to. They are disorganised in their work culture. It’s a Humpty-dumpty space for chaos and noise. A visionless and valueless workplace encourages toxicity. Conversely, in a workplace where values and visions are clarified to both employees and employers, there is so much organisation and there is less possibility of toxicity. Another sign of a toxic workplace is the micromanagement of talents and work overload of employees by startups. Most of the employees who suffered from toxic workplaces complained about how they were overused and manipulated by employers with so many roles meant for four people, being handled by one. This narrative is the same: one worker is responsible for clerical duties, bookkeeping, financial management, office cleaning, and much more. To avoid a toxic workplace and to get more out of their staff, startups must desist from micromanaging, and state their job roles and expectations to their employees. Lack of communication between employees and employers have often created a toxic workplace. Most sufferers of toxic workplaces have pointed out a lack of communication between them and their employers as the reason for toxicity in the workspace. In most cases, bosses tend to shut off every link of communication between them and their employees and act as the only decision-makers. They even condescend to the opinions of their staff. To avoid toxicity in the workplace, startups must be open-minded and create room for effective communication. Conducting an opinion poll, a one-on-one conversation with your workforce or a triangle meeting with employees can go a long way in stemming the chaos and toxicity prevalent in the workplace.
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In a bid to avoid getting frustrated by poor results among your workforce, it is advisable to hire the right talents. I would suggest that you hire those smarter than you. This will avert the risk of creating a toxic workplace that is caused by poor productivity. Although, staff might show incompetence in their roles, and display laxity and unseriousness, which might cause bosses to be toxic, there are professional strategies to deal with such matters. The carrot and stick approach is the most ideal way to compel results from employees. If an organization has a carrot and stick approach or policy, they offer people things to persuade them to do something and punish them if they refuse to do it. The government is proclaiming a carrot-and-stick approach to the problem. Appreciating employees’ resourcefulness is a good way to make employees feel loved. When employees are appreciated for their efforts, they naturally give their best. A commendation, a raise, a tip, an award or a simple pat on the back can go a long way to creating a frictionless relationship between employers and employees, which of course avert a toxic workplace. Apart from providing perks like free food, fun games, nap pods, on-site physicians, Google also keeps an eye on their employee’s satisfaction and happiness. Like, Googlegeist is an annual survey that collects responses of all Googlers on company culture, compensation, managers, work-life balance, career opportunities, and so on. Therefore, Nigerian startups must emulate Google. When you observe that an employee isn’t matching up with a given role due to inexperience, lack of skill or difficulty in getting it done, it is the duty of the startup to empower, train and teaches. On the contrary, most startups insult and call their employee’s unprintable names when they fail to handle a task properly due to inexperience.  Featured image source: Freshbooks
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