Encourage Open & Transparent Communication — Create a space that makes team members feel safe to share their thoughts and constantly re-emphasize the importance of everyone sharing their real thoughts and feedback.

Toxic work environments can have a significant impact on employees’ mental health, productivity, and overall job satisfaction. From poor communication and office politics to bullying and burnout, toxicity in the workplace can manifest in many forms. What are the most effective strategies to address and overcome these challenges? How can organizations and employees work together to create healthier, more supportive work environments? In this interview series, we are talking with with leaders, HR professionals, organizational psychologists, business leaders, and experts about “Navigating Workplace Toxicity: Strategies for a Healthier Work Environment.” As a part of this series I had the pleasure of interviewing Lee Rubin.

Lee Rubin is the co-founder and CEO at Confetti — the leading solution for virtual team building with 10,000 customers. Lee is a visionary culture leader who has helped thousands of companies improve their corporate culture including Google and Facebook. She was voted top 200 female founders according to Inc Magazine and manages over 60 employees.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I’m Lee Rubin, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Confetti. I’m one of the world’s experts in employee culture and event planning. Especially virtual team building. My company, Confetti, has over 10,000 customers — and we’ve worked with companies like Google & Facebook in improving their company culture.

I first came up with the idea for Confetti when I was working for ZocDoc in 2014 and was tasked with putting together events for my team. At first, I was only interested in creating a platform that made it super simple to plan events. But shortly after starting the business, I realized that if I could make sure the events were good, I could really help improve the dynamics between team members and make work a more fun place to be.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

When the pandemic happened in 2019, we had to quickly pivot from in-person events to virtual. Even though the world has opened back up, we haven’t gone back to in-person events. Virtual was the stage that allowed us to ride a new kind of wave; we weren’t expecting it to be as successful as it was.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

It has to be a time from the Confetti stone ages. We’ll call it Before Eyal, or BE. I was working with a freelance developer. I had no idea how to even communicate my ideas to him. When I was waiting for updates, he would tell me that the code was being deployed. Every time I spoke to him he would tell me that “the code is still being deployed.” I had no idea what he meant when he’d tell me this, yet it was almost all he’d ever say to me. I was thinking there was a heavy amount of data and software that needed to be downloaded and that it took forever and he was just stringing me along. I never got a finished product from him. That’s also when I decided I really needed a true partner.

It wasn’t until Eyal joined that I fully understood what this meant. Now I know–thanks to Eyal–that Confetti’s code is deployed in just about 5 minutes today. If I’d tried to accomplish what Eyal and I have done in regards to our platform’s sophistication with any of the freelance developers I’d worked with previously, I’d still be waiting for the code to be deployed.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

I’m not a religious person, but the book that made one of the most significant impacts on me is “Conversations with God”. While it comes off like a book that has a religious context it is not. The book begins with the author writing an angry letter to ‘God’ asking why his life isn’t working out, and to his surprise God responds to him. It’s a series that explores deep philosophical and spiritual questions about life, purpose, love and the nature of the universe.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” — Buddha

This quote emphasizes the importance of focusing on the present rather than getting caught up in past failures or future uncertainties, which is crucial for founders and entrepreneurs. In the fast-paced world of startups, the ability to stay present allows leaders to make informed decisions, seize current opportunities, and effectively navigate challenges without being hindered by regrets or anxieties.

By concentrating on the present moment, we empower ourselves to innovate, collaborate, and contribute fully to our team’s success, transforming every challenge into a stepping stone toward our collective goals.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Let’s start with a simple definition so that all of us are on the same page. What does does workplace toxicity mean?

Workplace toxicity refers to a negative work environment characterized by harmful behaviors, attitudes and practices that can affect an employee’s mental, emotional and physical well-being. This can manifest as poor communication, bullying and harassment, micromanagement, lack of support, gossip, unrealistic expectations, and just general negativity.

Can you describe a time when you personally encountered or helped resolve workplace toxicity?

Of course. I think toxicity often festers in uncontrolled environments where leadership doesn’t take enough intervention on toxic behavior. It’s critical to let employees know the values that they should exemplify and what behavior they will allow vs. not allow.

What were the key signs that the environment was toxic?

Poor communication, high turnover rates, and a negative atmosphere are some popular indicators of toxic environments.

What are some of the most common causes of toxic work environments, and how can leaders recognize these issues before they become pervasive?

As I mentioned earlier, a lot of the common causes stem from ineffective or absent leadership. Teams need to have a clear expectation on their goals, objectives, and values. They should also have regular check-ins and open discussions to gauge whether there is alignment and a safe space to answer questions. Gossip and negativity should be addressed swiftly.

What steps can employees take to address workplace toxicity if they feel uncomfortable or unsupported by leadership?

HR is responsible for maintaining a healthy work environment and a good HR department should be able to mediate and offer resources and even intervene if there are violations. Employees can also help to document incidents alongside HR and can provide concrete examples if issues escalate. If HR isn’t a good resource in your organization, you can still document it solo and help set clear boundaries to indicate that you don’t tolerate disrespect. Sometimes toxic behavior stems from a lack of awareness. You can practice constructive communication and address the issue calmly and professionally. Believe in yourself; you might prompt a positive change!

What role does mental health play in navigating workplace toxicity, and how can both employees and organizations prioritize mental wellness?

Toxicity in the workplace can create chronic stress, decreased motivation, emotional exhaustion, loneliness and ultimately lead to churn. Organizations can help prioritize mental wellness by encouraging setting boundaries and engaging in self care.

Can you share some strategies or practices that individuals and teams can implement to create a healthier and more productive work environment? Please share your “5 Strategies For A Healthier Work Environment”?

1. Encourage Open & Transparent Communication — Create a space that makes team members feel safe to share their thoughts and constantly re-emphasize the importance of everyone sharing their real thoughts and feedback.

2. Promote Work-Life Balance — By prioritizing policies that support employees’ well-being outside of work such as flexible work hours, PTO, remote work options and reasonable workloads.

3. Recognize and Celebrate Achievements — Regularly acknowledging people’s work can really go a long way in ensuring their doing a good job which is a major contributor to mental health at work.

4. Invest in Professional Development — Offer opportunities for employees to grow and advance within the company.

5. Foster Inclusivity & Collaboration — Build a culture where diverse voices are heard and everyone feels included. Solve problems by promoting cross departmental collaboration.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

There are so many things that this world needs right now, whether it’s work that goes towards the climate change crisis or providing more clean water and food to those who are starving.

There are, however, only certain things that I can do within my control and if I can inspire a movement that can bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, it’s improving the relationship that people have with their co-workers and their jobs. I choose to believe that the consciousness of the planet will improve as a result.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

If I had to choose one, it would be Brené Brown who has a podcast ‘Dare to Lead’ which I follow religiously. She talks about many of the things that are missing from the workplace and guests include genuine culture shifters that are building a more just world and that requires very daring leadership. I think she just checks all the boxes in terms of what this world needs right now.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubinl/

Subscribe to our blog and get access to my bi-monthly culture corner!

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.