--- description: Many companies have switched to hybrid/remote work in recent years, but what role has this played in toxic workplace culture for staff? Read more to find out. image: https://gdm-localsites-assets-gfprod.imgix.net/images/capterra/og_logo-e5a8c001ed0bd1bb922639230fcea71a.png?auto=format%2Cenhance%2Ccompress title: Has hybrid/remote work improved toxic workplace culture? --- # Remote working hasn’t significantly changed toxic workplace culture for employees Canonical: https://www.capterra.com.au/blog/3028/remote-work-and-toxic-workplace-culture-in-australia Published on 16/08/2022 | Written by Laura Burgess. ![Remote working hasn’t significantly changed toxic workplace culture for employees](https://images.ctfassets.net/63bmaubptoky/aa7AFlAjM6hpJKXrIk8E20ZPIR-DO1-N1ssMUMZ1e8Q/ca3d06c36ab1539d22168e31734872df/Toxic-workplace-culture-AU-CAP-Header-image.png) > Hybrid or remote work may not necessarily resolve toxic workplace culture but can help lessen certain behaviours and expectations that impact employees’ wellbeing. In this article, Capterra looks at whether employee monitoring tools aid in improving toxic behaviours in the workplace. ----- ## Article Content Hybrid or remote work may not necessarily resolve toxic workplace culture but can help lessen certain behaviours and expectations that impact employees’ wellbeing. In this article, Capterra looks at whether employee monitoring tools aid in improving toxic behaviours in the workplace.In this articleA third of employees reported toxic behaviour at their companyHybrid or remote work hasn’t significantly improved toxic company cultureYelling, gossiping, and bullying have declined the most for hybrid/remote employeesDigital monitoring tools track employee history and behavioursIn summaryHybrid and remote work gives employees more flexibility and can improve employee retention for businesses. But has letting staff work from home reduced toxic workplace behaviours, such as sexism, bullying, and racism, at all? Capterra interviewed over 1,000 employees for their insights into how much hybrid or remote work impacts their company’s culture. The full methodology can be found at the bottom of this article. A third of employees reported toxic behaviour at their companyToxic workplaces could seriously harm an employee’s mental and physical wellbeing. Employees may find it challenging to do their job due to personal conflicts between colleagues, which involve hostility, gossiping, mistrust, or even harassment. Capterra found that a third of survey-takers (33%) have reported toxic behaviour at their current company (12% said they had reported ‘toxic behaviour against them’, while 21% reported it ‘against someone else’). A further 14% of employees wanted to report behaviour but didn’t feel comfortable, suggesting they might be afraid to speak up or want to appease colleagues.Whilst work-related stress typically affects the mental health of employees, bullying, gossiping, or absenteeism can too and may also damage employee productivity and performance. Out of those who reported toxic work behaviour, only 50% said the issue was addressed and there was a positive outcome. 35% said the problem was addressed, but nothing changed, while 15% said the issue wasn’t addressed. Tips for businesses: Employers may want to train supervisors with managerial techniques as there can sometimes be a fine line between strong management and workplace bullying. Training programs can provide educational opportunities for managers and outline steps that workers can take when dealing with bullying.Hybrid or remote work hasn’t significantly improved toxic company cultureA third of survey-takers (33%) said they became a hybrid or remote employee at their current job during the pandemic, whilst only 6% transitioned to this way of working at their company before COVID-19. Capterra wanted to know if spending less time working face-to-face with colleagues significantly impacted toxic work behaviour. From this point onwards, the article mainly focuses on responses from the group of hybrid/remote employees. Before the transition to hybrid/remote, 23% of employees said their organisation’s culture was ‘somewhat’ (19%) or ‘extremely’ (4%) toxic. There was only a slight improvement in toxic workplace culture after the transition, as the number dropped to 19% (17% of survey-takers who transitioned said it was ‘somewhat’ toxic, and 2% said ‘extremely’). Working remotely means colleagues see each other less and are unlikely to face those who make them feel physically uncomfortable. But remote work can also indicate less camaraderie and teamwork due to a lack of in-person interaction. Workers may feel lonelier and lack support from their managers or coworkers. Since transitioning to hybrid or remote work at their current job, the majority of survey-takers (70%) feel the same level of comfort in reporting toxic behaviours. Nearly one in five respondents (18%) said they feel more comfortable making a complaint about toxic behaviour as 13% are ‘somewhat more comfortable’ and 5% are ‘significantly more comfortable’. Tips for businesses: Managers can improve employee satisfaction and productivity if workers feel like they can channel their complaints or concerns. Employees want to feel cared for by their company, and leaders can encourage them to complete a survey for critical feedback on the working conditions of their organisation and the behaviour of managers or teammates. Yelling, gossiping, and bullying have declined the most for hybrid/remote employeesTo understand which areas of a toxic work environment have improved the most for employees who transitioned to hybrid or remote work, we asked survey-takers to rank the prevalence of 10 toxic behaviours, such as gossiping, sexism, or racism. Yelling/arguing was the toxic behaviour to decline the most for employees (31%). This was followed by bullying (30%) and gossiping (30%).A slight decline in sexual harassment for both male and female hybrid/remote employeesThankfully, 26% of respondents reported that sexual harassment had declined in prevalence since they switched to hybrid or remote working. Although, sexual harassment in the workplace tends to affect women more than men, about the same numbers of men as women reported this drop. However, when it came to sexism, which had also declined in prevalence overall by 27%, surprisingly it had dropped more for male survey-takers (30%) in comparison to women (25%).Digital monitoring tools track employee history and behavioursNow that employees have become accustomed to hybrid or remote working, 62% of survey-takers said they would consider leaving their company if they didn’t have the option. Within this group, 16% said it would be the ‘main reason’ to leave their job, and 46% said it would be ‘one of the reasons’ for leaving. Whilst it looks like hybrid work is here to stay, managers may have concerns about how to supervise employees remotely.Employee monitoring tools have become the new normal, and in the first year of the pandemic, more than half of Australian small to medium-sized businesses invested in using the software. We asked survey-takers if their employer currently uses any of these monitoring tools whilst they work hybrid or remotely, and more than a third (37%) said yes, whilst 42% said no.We asked the survey respondents who answered yes whether they felt employee monitoring tools actually assist in reducing toxic work behaviour at their job. 42% did not agree, which may highlight a lack of awareness about the tools. The software can help keep records of any unruly behaviours, although it’s important that a policy is put in place, so staff know the processes to follow if they do need to file a complaint. It is also advisable that employers are transparent about the use of any employee monitoring tools so that workers know they are being used.A quarter of respondents (26%) agreed that the use of these tools is helping (21% ‘somewhat agree’ and 5% ‘strongly agree’). Toxic behaviour can be recorded much more easily in the digital space as opposed to in person. Workers can save any messages, videos, or images to their computer and pass the evidence to their HR department. The HR representative can verify the complaints made against an employee by checking their history via monitoring tools. In summaryBoth employers and employees are realising that hybrid or remote work does not mean that there are fewer toxic behaviours in the workplace. Some aspects of toxic behaviours, such as sexual harassment and sexism, have slightly improved but, unfortunately, can still happen online in the digital space. Despite slightly improving, toxic traits like gossiping and arguing can also easily continue in a remote setup, thanks to messaging platforms and video conferencing. But companies can use tools to monitor these platforms and ensure that any misbehaviour is caught and dealt with appropriately. The next article to be published in this two-part series looks at company culture and the importance of friendships in the workplace. How has the new age of remote/hybrid work affected employees’ desire to have work friends? And how can this impact employee retention? Looking for employee monitoring software? Check out our catalogue. ## Disclaimer > MethodologyData for Capterra’s Company Culture Survey was collected in June 2022. Results comprise responses from 1,021 participants. The criteria to be selected for this study are as follows:Australian residentAged over 18 yearsEmployed full or part-timeWorks for a company that has between 6 to 10,000 or more employeesWorks on-site (in the office, store or other location), hybrid or remotely at their current company.  ## About the author ### Laura Burgess Laura is a Content Analyst at Capterra, researching and giving insight on tech trends to help SMEs. Graduate of Bath Spa University, UK. ## Related Categories - [Benefits Administration Software](https://www.capterra.com.au/directory/10025/benefits-administration/software) - [HR Software](https://www.capterra.com.au/directory/5/human-resource/software) - [Onboarding Software](https://www.capterra.com.au/directory/30819/onboarding/software) - [Recruitment Software](https://www.capterra.com.au/directory/30602/recruiting/software) - [Talent Management Software](https://www.capterra.com.au/directory/10029/talent-management/software) ## Related Articles - [3 Best POS systems for restaurants](https://www.capterra.com.au/blog/956/best-pos-systems-restaurant-success-australia) - [Digitisation Vs Digitalisation: What’s The Difference?](https://www.capterra.com.au/blog/1675/digitisation-vs-digitalisation-whats-the-difference) - [5 Ways Australia’s Lockdown Has Fast-tracked Digital Transformation](https://www.capterra.com.au/blog/1453/australias-lockdown-fast-tracked-digital-transformation) - [Two-thirds of Aussie job seekers harness AI to ‘level up’ in recruitment processes](https://www.capterra.com.au/blog/7191/how-to-identify-ai-use-in-recruitment-process) - [Are SMEs leveraging AI in HR to help with decision-making processes?](https://www.capterra.com.au/blog/4107/study-on-the-future-of-ai-in-hr-australia) ## Links - [View on Capterra](https://www.capterra.com.au/blog/3028/remote-work-and-toxic-workplace-culture-in-australia) - [Blog](https://www.capterra.com.au/blog) - [Home](https://www.capterra.com.au/) ----- ## Structured Data