Why should you fix toxic office culture?

According to MIT Slogan Management Review, a toxic company culture is the strongest factor in driving employee turnover and is 10x more important than compensation in turnover prediction. Repairing a toxic office culture will not only boost employee retention and engagement, but also strengthen commitment and trust between employees and managers.

How can I contribute to my office culture?

Begin by celebrating and recognizing each other’s success. The Achievers Employee Experience Platform allows managers and employees to do so seamlessly and frequently. Employee recognition is the key ingredient to a strong office culture, and those who are never recognized are 27% more likely to say they will job hunt in 2024.

How do employee recognition software platforms improve office culture?

Behind a thriving company culture are people who feel valued, belonged, and recognized. Research has shown that a simple “thank you” from managers can kindle a 69% boost in the likelihood of employees bringing extra effort into their work. This means that with an employee recognition software platform, a company can retain great talents while cultivating a positive office culture where everyone thrives.

How does office culture affect employees?

Office culture is powerful, and with employees spending one-third of their life at work, it has a great impact on employees’ happiness, engagement, growth, sense of safety, etc. Workers are seeking employers who embrace DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in every part of their company culture more than ever. Companies that don’t do a great job in cultivating inclusivity in their office culture will fail in engaging their employees and retaining great talents.

Can a toxic office culture be fixed?

Yes, a toxic office culture can be fixed. Employers should be able to identify gaps and problems and build a strategic approach to improve their office culture. At Achievers, our employee recognition platform is designed to help company cultures thrive. Hear how Wesley’s overall engagement index increased 1 point across the organization after implementing the Achievers’ platform.

5 company initiatives to improve office culture

#1: Employee health and wellness
#2: Lead with kindness
#3: Give back together
#4: Support work–life balance
#5: Shadow one another
How do you fix toxic office culture?
Improve office culture FAQs
Culture isn’t a perk — it’s a strategy

Company culture isn’t a poster on the wall or a fruit basket in the break room. It’s how people feel at work — and whether they want to stick around. With employees spending roughly one-third of their lives on the clock (yes, really), it’s no surprise that HR leaders rank culture and engagement as their top challenge, according to Achievers Workforce Institute (AWI) research.
The good news? You don’t need to start from scratch. From promoting wellbeing to encouraging simple acts of gratitude, there are proven, practical initiatives that make a real difference. These aren’t just warm-and-fuzzy extras — they’re the building blocks of a thriving, high-performing workplace. And a strong culture isn’t just nice to have. It’s how the best-run businesses get results.

1. Employee health and wellness

Let’s be honest — no one wants to step on a scale in front of their coworkers. Today’s employees care more about long-term well-being than outdated health benchmarks. In fact, research from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine shows that employees who sleep 7–8 hours a night take far fewer sick days than those sleeping less than 6 or more than 9. Add in the growing popularity of fitness trackers, wellness apps, and smarter eating, and it’s clear: employees want tools that help them feel better — not judged.

Start with initiatives that promote real progress. Focus on feeling energized, building strength, and making healthier choices easy. Even better? These programs show employees that you care about their health — not just their output.

Office culture initiatives to try

Organic lunch days: Offer clean, energizing meals once or twice a week.
Strength challenges: Employees track improvement over time — not weight.
Sleep goals: Track 7–8 hours via wearables and reward consistency.
Wellness incentives: PTO hours, gift cards, or fitness memberships for healthy habits.
Mental health breaks: Encourage midday walks, quiet zones, or screen-free zones.

2. Lead with kindness

Kindness isn’t a “nice-to-have” — it’s a cultural power tool. When practiced consistently, kindness helps people feel seen, valued, and supported. Teams that prioritize respect and empathy report 26 % more energy, 36 % higher job satisfaction, and 44 % greater commitment. That’s not fluff — that’s fuel for better performance and stronger teams.

Building a culture of kindness starts small: giving thoughtful feedback, noticing strengths, or simply holding the door open (literally or metaphorically). The key is consistency. Kindness isn’t a one-off gesture — it’s part of the everyday experience. And when it’s woven into the fabric of your workplace, it defuses office politics, boosts morale, and elevates everyone’s game — without costing a cent more in salaries.

Office culture initiatives to try

Define kindness pillars: Set shared norms like empathy-first feedback or celebrating small wins.
Create a “Wall of Fame”: Recognize employees publicly — photos, stories, impact.
Encourage peer recognition: Use Slack or Teams to give “props” and shoutouts.
Manager shoutouts: Make appreciation part of every team meeting.
Recognition platforms: Use tools (like Achievers) to embed recognition into daily workflow.

3. Give back together

Giving back isn’t just good for the community — it’s great for culture. Employees offered paid volunteer time off are 50 % less likely to leave their jobs, and volunteering boosts productivity by 13 %. Millennials in particular expect more than a paycheck — 61 % say a company’s social impact influences their job decisions.

Volunteering programs don’t have to be elaborate. A few hours, a flexible schedule, and visible support from leadership go a long way. The real ROI? A sense of belonging, pride, and purpose that makes people want to stay — and tell others why they do.

Office culture initiatives to try

Bi-annual volunteer days: Host company-wide events during work hours — not weekends.
Volunteer time off (VTO): Offer a paid day per quarter (or year) for causes employees choose.
Cause-based teams: Encourage groups to champion different community initiatives.
Recognition for service: Highlight top volunteers on internal channels or at team meetings.
Track and celebrate impact: Share stats, stories, and results from every effort.

4. Support work–life balance

Let’s be clear — work‑life balance isn’t a luxury anymore; it’s a baseline expectation. A recent report found that 94 % of workers consider it essential, and nearly 50 % would quit a job that interferes with their personal life. Millennials and Gen Z are even more vocal: they rank work–life balance between 8.7 and 9.0 out of 10 on the list of job must‑haves.

So how do you meet that expectation? It starts with flexibility — and trust. Empower employees to manage their time, protect their energy, and show up when it matters most. It’s not about clock-watching — it’s about outcome-driving. And yes, it pays off. Studies suggest that with unlimited PTO, employees often take less time off, not more, simply because they feel trusted.

Office culture initiatives to try

Flexible schedules: Let employees shape their day around when they’re most productive.
Remote work days: Cut the commute, boost focus.
Half‑day Fridays: Especially in summer — burnout hates early weekends.
Unlimited PTO: Trust your team. They’ll return the favor.
No-meeting blocks: Give people time to actually do the work.

5. Shadow one another

Silos are great — for grain. For growing a business? Not so much. When teams operate in isolation, communication breaks down, collaboration stalls, and opportunities quietly disappear. Cross-functional shadowing is a low-lift, high-impact way to build empathy, uncover inefficiencies, and help employees see how their work contributes to the bigger picture. It turns “Why do they do it that way?” into “How can we do this better together?”

And the impact is measurable. 89 % of organizations with job shadowing programs report stronger employee engagement. Meanwhile, 70 % of employees say access to development opportunities — like shadowing — influence whether they stay with an employer.

Office culture initiatives to try

Host monthly shadow sessions: Rotate departments and participants.
Keep it short: 3–4 hours per session.
Pair for purpose: Focus on teams that frequently collaborate.
Debrief and act: Ask pairs to share one improvement idea.
Share takeaways: Highlight insights in meetings or team channels.

How do you fix toxic office culture?

Toxic culture doesn’t announce itself with flashing lights — it creeps in. One micromanaged project here, a clunky onboarding there, and suddenly you’ve got disengagement on your hands. But there’s good news: culture isn’t permanent. It can be reshaped, reenergized, and rebuilt. Here’s where to start:

How to improve office culture

Stop micromanaging

Support is great. Hovering is not. While employees thrive with clear guidance, micromanagement erodes trust, stalls productivity, and tanks morale. AWI’s manager effectiveness report found that only 28% of employees would recommend their manager to others. Yikes. The fix? Foster autonomy. Set expectations, then step back. Empower people to learn, grow, and solve. Trust isn’t a soft skill — it’s a strategy.

Make onboarding unforgettable

First impressions aren’t just social — they’re cultural. A strong onboarding program sets the tone for trust, connection, and confidence. It’s more than logins and forms: think welcome kits, onboarding buddies, and maybe even shadowing to build cross-team understanding. For remote hires, bridge the distance with face time (the human kind) and clear cultural touchpoints. The result? Higher retention, faster ramp-up, and people who say, “I knew I made the right choice on Day One.”

Live your core values

Mission statements don’t shape culture. Behavior does. According to AWI data, employees who feel aligned with their company’s culture are 9x more likely to be highly committed — and half as likely to job hunt. But that alignment doesn’t happen by accident. Make your values visible in daily decisions, recognition programs, and how leaders lead. If your values show up everywhere, your people will stick around — and so will their engagement.

Culture isn’t a perk — it’s a strategy

Fixing or improving office culture isn’t about ping-pong tables or free lattes. It’s about intention, consistency, and — above all — listening to your people.

Whether you’re addressing toxic behaviors or looking to deepen employee engagement, the right initiatives can transform your workplace from the inside out. Recognition, flexibility, kindness, and purpose aren’t fluff — they’re foundational.

When employees feel seen and supported, they don’t just show up. They thrive.

That’s where Achievers comes in. With a platform built to drive frequent, meaningful recognition and connect people to purpose, Achievers helps organizations turn everyday moments into long-term engagement.

And when culture works, everything else follows: