A mildly disturbing trend in some post-COVID 19 workplaces is bringing new meaning to the cliché "we are in this together".
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Empowered by the anxiety, vulnerability and job insecurity in this post-pandemic world, some bosses are resetting workplace cultures to take on an almost "cult-like" personality.
Accompanied by sermon-esque "town hall" meetings, once-positive workplaces are curdling into chasms of exploitation, isolation and groupthink - characteristics found in the most damaging cults in history.
Most of us quiver at the very thought of being sucked in by a cult-like workplace.
Yet we are talking about some workplaces morphing into places filled with "I am lucky to have a job" types who are being told their job is "not just a job - it's a way of life".
Here are some red flags to look out for.
Let's start with the emergence of a suite of newly designed rules to control and shape behaviour.
If you feel your work has taken over your life because you are increasingly spending more time with colleagues than your family and friends, be suspicious.
And if you are asked to engage in new rituals like a daily chant, or your boss has acquired an appetite for tolerating or even encouraging burnout, alarm bells should be ringing.
Be concerned, too, if dissent is discouraged or punished and if you are regularly told "let's take that offline" - alternative views, on anything, are clearly no longer welcome.
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And hearing that someone was let go or not hired because "they were not the right fit" suggests there is no tolerance for individuality.
Other red flags include an unhealthy and arrogant superiority complex towards competitors, overreliance on the beliefs, opinions and charisma of a single leadership figure, and the rise of the "good-news-only workplace culture".
If you remain in doubt about the "cult" in workplace cultures, check out the employee comments on online company review websites such as Glassdoor, Indeed, Vault and CareerBliss.
A salesperson alleges their company is "run like a religious cult with people engaging in sycophantic behaviour with management to gain advantage". A lawyer suggests "bosses gang up to brainwash you into doing what they want". An IT consultant describes "a cult-like workplace in which employees say they have to appear happy in order to win favour with colleagues".
Some bosses - and workers, too - might be outwardly proud of their cult-styled approach and point to the benefits of having a team of people who are the "right fit".
But a workplace devoid of individualism, inclusion and diversity is a retrograde step that favours short-term achievements over long-term gains.
So, give your employer your talent - but never your soul.
- Professor Gary Martin is a workplace culture expert with the Australian Institute of Management.