According to the Productivity Commission, toxic workplaces cost Australia around $39 billion every year in lost participation and productivity. Now a growing number of employees and their bosses are navigating challenges at work with the help of executive coaches like Louise Spinks. 

Council of the City of Sydney

Toxic workplaces in Australia result in an annual loss of approximately $39 billion due to decreased participation and productivity, as reported by the Productivity Commission. This significant financial impact emphasizes the need for solutions to combat toxic work environments. In response, a growing number of employees and their supervisors are seeking assistance from executive coaches such as Louise Spinks, aiming to navigate and address workplace challenges effectively.



Toxic workplaces costing the community billions

For almost 20 years, Louise Spinks was a senior HR practitioner who loved going into work every day. I was responsible for looking at people across different cultures and the way in which they work. As a result of that, I saw many of my peers and colleagues as almost like family. As Louise advanced within her organisation though, friction started to develop between her and her boss. And Louise says she chose to bury her head in work despite the issues. It resulted in me working more often than not, seven day weeks. Sometimes I was clocking, gosh, 18 hour days. But the challenges just got worse. My boss was often verbally abusive, had even smashed some crockery in a huge fit. I think most days of the week towards the end of that particular role, found myself fearful. Sorry. After her role became untenable, Louise stepped away from her dream job. But it was only then that she realised the full extent of her fear. Following a consultation with a psychologist, Louise was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As I slowly started to get therapy for this PTSD, I realised I started to reach out to other friends that I wasn't alone. Based on a survey conducted by SEEG, more than 40% of workers have been bullied or intimidated on the job. And almost 60% of Australians say they have experienced some sort of toxic behaviour at work. The toxic metaphor comes from chemistry, but really the nature of management is people. Professor Eric Knight is the Executive Dean of the Business School at Macquarie University. If people aren't feeling safe in the workplace, if they don't feel that they're in a place where their values are respected, where their work is valued, they leave. According to the federal government, toxic workplaces cost the community more than $39 billion every year. Now more and more employers and employees too are taking steps to improve the collective mental health of where they go to work. Four years after exiting her own toxic workplace, Louise is now a career strategist and leadership coach, helping clients both in Australia and overseas navigate an array of different challenges. Things like backstabbing, burnout, overwhelm, just a feeling of confusion, a lack of clarity, where to go in their careers. Certain people that you hire, you know, they just bring a different sort of energy and sort of became a little bit toxic. I called Louise and she was just amazing. So what can you do to avoid your workplace becoming toxic? Develop skills around empathy, active listening, actually caring, having conversations that involve compassion. Without a coach, people don't always have that free space to think out loud and to practice how they build the right kinds of team dynamics. And when it comes to her own life and new career, Louise says she hasn't looked back. I love having folks come into my office challenged by something in their workplace and seeing the transition. I think mostly that's the biggest win for me.

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