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Building Resilience Begins with People: The Business Risks of Toxic Culture

  1. INTRODUCTION


Workplace toxicity is something many people recognize even before they know what to call it. It shows up as the heaviness you feel before the workday starts, the quiet dread before a meeting, or the exhaustion that lingers long after you have logged off.


Yet, even as these experiences become increasingly common, many organizations remain focused on KPIs, quarterly goals, and rapid growth. What often gets forgotten is that behind every assignment is a person trying to balance work, family, emotions, and the unpredictable realities of life.


A recent viral incident reminded us of this. An employee informed their manager that a close family member had passed away and asked for a day to grieve. Instead of offering compassion, the manager insisted they join a work call immediately. No pause. No understanding.


People reacted strongly because the situation felt painfully familiar. It showed what happens in workplaces where empathy is treated as optional and performance is treated as everything.

This blog explores what happened, what it reveals about modern work environments, and why a lack of empathy is not only harmful but also potentially triggering business continuity risks, operational disruptions, and even information security lapses.


  1. WHAT HAPPENED?


The viral exchange showed an employee explaining a personal loss and requesting a day off. The manager responded by repeatedly asking them to join a scheduled induction call. Read more here


When the screenshots appeared on Reddit, thousands of people recognized the situation. Many shared stories of working through illness, emergencies or even bereavement because their workplace culture discouraged taking time off. What struck people most was how normal these stories sounded. Many had simply learned to “push through,” even when it hurt.


Behind every one of these moments is a human being trying to navigate real life while working in an environment that rarely slows down for personal pain.


“People leave managers, not companies.”  — Marcus Buckingham


  1. THE REAL ISSUE


Toxicity is not always loud or obvious. Often, it is the quiet dismissal of someone’s emotional needs. It is the pressure to deliver no matter what. It is leaders prioritizing numbers over the people who help achieve them.

“Your employees’ well-being is not an HR issue. It is a leadership responsibility.”  — Dr. Travis Bradberry

Organizations are usually very strong on compliance and performance frameworks, but very few have clear policies around empathy, psychological safety, or emotional well-being. This gap becomes alarmingly visible when we look at global data.



These numbers highlight a simple truth. Employees everywhere are drained and looking for workplaces that value their humanity. And when empathy is missing, businesses eventually pay the price. Toxic culture does not just hurt people. It weakens the organization itself.


  1. IMPACT OF WORKPLACE TOXICITY


Toxicity does not stay confined to people’s feelings, as it eventually disrupts how an organization functions. When empathy is missing and stress becomes normal, decision-making weakens, communication breaks, and accountability fades. These cracks may start as cultural issues, but they quickly move into operational risks that affect stability, continuity, and even security.


This is why modern organizations increasingly recognize that people-related challenges can lead to real threats that can cause crisis if the employee(s) becomes disgruntled, causing ISMS related issues or stop working, causing BCMS related issues. Thus, it becomes important to build processes within a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) or an Information Security Management System (ISMS) to ensure such risks are mitigated. These frameworks depend heavily on clear communication, responsible behavior, and engaged teams; all of which decline in a toxic environment.


Below are the ways toxicity directly creates or increases enterprise risks:


  1. Declining Productivity and Innovation

Creativity and innovation thrive in safe environments. When people feel stressed or criticized, they focus on survival instead of innovative ideas.


 A Harvard Business Review (2023) study found that employees in supportive environments are up to 76% more engaged and 50% more productive.

When this engagement drops:

  • project delays become more frequent

  • errors multiply

  • teams stop sharing critical information


These conditions can create blind spots in both BCMS and ISMS, where outdated information, missed updates, or ignored warnings compromise readiness and security.


  1. Weakening Business Resilience

Toxic cultures drain the workforce. People become emotionally checked out, hesitant to speak up or fearful of raising risks. As resilience weakens, the organization becomes more vulnerable.

This can lead to:

  • unreported risks

  • slower response times during incidents

  • errors caused by fatigue or disengagement

  • breakdown in cross-team communication

  • inability to adapt under pressure


When resilience drops, even minor issues can escalate into service outages, delivery delays, compliance problems, or operational disruptions.


  1. People-Related Continuity Risks

Toxic cultures also create quiet risks that most companies don’t notice until something breaks. When people feel stressed or unsupported, they stop sharing knowledge or helping others learn their work. Over time, one person ends up becoming the only one who knows how to handle a critical task.


In healthy workplaces, this is prevented through simple habits like:

  • training a backup for important responsibilities

  • basic handovers and knowledge sharing

  • succession planning for key roles


But in a toxic environment, these things rarely happen. People withdraw, stop documenting their work, and just try to survive each day. So, when someone takes sudden leave or decides to quit, the whole team or process can be disrupted.


  1. Information Security Vulnerabilities

Stress and burnout significantly increase the likelihood of:

  • accidental data leaks

  • weak password practices

  • skipped security steps

  • poor judgement under pressure


Disgruntled, disengaged, or emotionally distressed employees can also increase information security risks, particularly when frustration is combined with excessive workload or poor management.


This can result in:


  • Intentional data theft or disclosure: employees may misuse access to sensitive information when leaving the organization or acting out of frustration.

  • Unauthorized access or privilege misuse: legitimate access can be deliberately used for purposes beyond business needs.

  • Weak security practices: disengaged employees may ignore security procedures, reuse passwords, share credentials, or bypass controls simply to get work done faster.

  • Accidental data leaks: stress, fatigue, and lack of attention can lead to misdirected emails, incorrect file sharing, or mishandling of confidential information.

  • Failure to report incidents: employees who distrust management may be less willing to report mistakes, suspicious activity, or security incidents.

  • Loss of institutional knowledge: disgruntled employees leaving abruptly can take critical knowledge about systems, processes, and security dependencies with them.


A disgruntled employee isn't automatically a security threat, but a toxic environment can increase the likelihood of both intentional and accidental security incidents.


Information security incidents rarely happen because systems fail, but they happen because people are overwhelmed. A toxic environment increases that risk.


  1. Threats to Business Continuity

Toxicity often leads to operational disruptions such as sudden resignations, poor customer service, internal conflicts, and declining work quality.

Workplace toxicity can gradually create people-related continuity risks that become visible only when an organization faces disruption.


These can include:


  • Sudden employee resignations: critical employees may leave without adequate succession or knowledge transfer.

  • Loss of critical knowledge: experienced employees may take undocumented processes and operational knowledge with them.

  • Reduced productivity and service quality: disengagement, absenteeism, and burnout can affect critical business activities.

  • Increased absenteeism: prolonged stress can reduce workforce availability during already demanding periods.

  • Internal conflicts: poor relationships and distrust can slow decision-making and disrupt coordination during a crisis.

  • Difficulty retaining critical talent: a toxic culture can make it harder to maintain the people required for essential functions.

  • Reduced crisis response capability: employees who lack trust in leadership may be less willing to cooperate, escalate issues, or take ownership during an incident.

  • Reputational damage: persistent employee dissatisfaction can spill into customer interactions, public reviews, social media, and employer reputation.


The result: an organization may have a well-documented BCP, but still struggle to execute it if the people responsible for critical activities are disengaged, unavailable, or leaving.


Rebuilding a damaged reputation is even harder and can take years.


A healthy culture supports business continuity. A hostile one weakens it.


  1. Loss of Purpose and Alignment

When people feel undervalued, they start withdrawing emotionally. They lose interest in contributing beyond the basics. Work becomes something to tolerate rather than something to take pride in.

Over time, this loss of purpose makes long-term success significantly harder.


  1. WHAT CAN BE DONE


Building a resilient culture does not require dramatic changes. It requires intentional leadership and a commitment to human well-being.


  1. Leaders Must Lead with Empathy

Empathy is not a soft skill. It is a strategic one. Leaders who understand their teams’ emotional needs foster trust and loyalty. Training managers in communication, emotional intelligence, and listening skills can make a significant difference.


  1. Encourage Employee Voice

Employees should feel safe speaking up about concerns, workload issues, or unfair treatment. When people feel heard, problems can be resolved before they grow.


  1. Monitor People-Centric Risk Indicators

Just as organizations track financial KPIs, they should track indicators that signal cultural decline:

  • burnout levels

  • fairness in workload

  • employee sentiment

  • manager behavior patterns

  • absenteeism or turnover patterns

These metrics help detect risk before it becomes a disruption.


  1. Build a Positive Everyday Culture

Positive cultures grow from everyday actions like acknowledging decent work, checking in personally, recognizing milestones and offering flexibility when needed. Small gestures build trust.

A happy, motivated workforce becomes a resilient one.


  1. Strengthen Resilience and Continuity Planning

People-related risks should be part of organizational preparedness, just like cybersecurity or natural disasters.

This is where structured frameworks like an Information Security Management System (ISMS) or a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) help.


They provide guidance to:

  • identify people-related vulnerabilities

  • prevent disruptions caused by stress, burnout or poor communication

  • create clarity during crises

  • strengthen consistency, transparency, and response capability


Human stability supports operational stability.

A big part of continuity planning is avoiding single points of failure; when only one person knows how to do a critical task. Simple steps like training a backup, having a basic handover plan, and keeping key instructions written down make the team far more stable. These habits take pressure off people and help the business keep running smoothly, even when someone is unavailable.


“The strength of your company lies not in your products, but in your people.” — Howard Schultz

  1. CONCLUSION


Workplace toxicity is often dismissed as a personal issue, but it quickly becomes a business issue. When people feel ignored or overwhelmed, engagement drops, mistakes increase and disruptions become more likely. The viral incident of a manager dismissing an employee’s grief is just one example of how a lack of empathy can weaken an entire organization.


These moments can hurt morale and can also lead to real business continuity risks like sudden resignations, work slowdowns, service gaps, and rising internal conflict. They also increase information security risks, because stressed or disengaged employees are more likely to overlook security protocols or mishandle sensitive data.


This is why empathy and stability are not optional. They directly support operational resilience.

Alongside cultural improvements, organizations benefit from having stronger structures in place. Implementing a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) helps companies prepare for people-related disruptions, while an Information Security Management System (ISMS) strengthens how information is managed, even during stressful periods. This is done proactively by reducing the probability of employees becoming disgruntled and having mitigation plans ready for such instances. These systems support empathy by creating predictability, clarity, and safer ways of working.


A resilient business is built on resilient people.

And resilience always begins with empathy.


At Gorisco, we help organizations strengthen resilience by aligning people, processes, and technology. From governance frameworks to remote-work policies, our focus is on building secure, transparent, and continuity-ready operations in today’s connected world. 


To read our other blogs, click here. We would love to hear your thoughts, so please share your comments!



 
 
 

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