Office Culture Can Be Too "nice" Sometimes
A toxic workplace culture was one of the biggest culprits behind the Great Resignation — which saw droves of workers leaving their jobs or switching careers during the post-pandemic era.
But since then, some companies are moving to the other extreme of “a culture of niceness,” and that could be just as damaging as toxicity, said one social psychologist.
“There has been a huge push around well-being and niceness at work, being kind, empathic and being caring — which are obviously good traits to have,” Tessa West, who is also a psychology professor at NYU, told CNBC Make It.
“But what ends up happening is, we’ve somehow pitted niceness against clear communication and confrontation, even when it’s necessary.”
Most would agree that a workplace is toxic when it is disrespectful, non-inclusive, unethical, cutthroat or abusive. The opposite of toxicity however, isn’t rainbows and sunshine — but a safe space for critical feedback and conversations, said West.
Knowing how to receive and give honest feedback is an “absolutely essential ingredient” for career development, she added.
“There’s this false dichotomy of: If you’re critical, that means you are toxic. Positive feedback? That’s what people want,” West said.
“But nice isn’t always better. Sometimes nice is a cop out.”
The tell-tale signs
For West, the biggest tell-tale sign of a “too nice” workplace is when there is an abundance of “friendly overtures.”
“Friendly overtures that are super generic that can be applied to anybody, like ‘They’re lovely. They’re great to work with.’ They don’t actually say anything,” she explained.
“That is the biggest red flag for a culture of niceness where people don’t feel the psychological safety to talk about strengths and weaknesses.”
Ironically, the biggest way to destroy psychological safety is through a culture of niceness, because you don’t really know what anyone actually thinks.
Tessa West
NYU professor
This may also lead to mediocrity, which bestselling author and Wharton psychologist Adam Grant considers one of the four deadly sins of work. Mediocrity is where individuals value relationships above results, he explained in a podcast.
“There’s no accountability. People are so worried about getting along that they end up forfeiting good work,” Grant added.
“In mediocracy, even if you do a terrible job, you can still get ahead as long as people like you.”
West added that a culture of niceness could also manifest in the form passive aggressiveness, where bad intentions are masked by smiles.
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