Welcome to the Culture Graveyard: 5 workplace behaviours we’ve finally buried
In today’s workplace, certain behaviours and practices are as outdated as fax machines. They’ve held us back, killed creativity, and haunted teams with inefficiency. It’s time to recognise the toxic workplace habits we need to lay to rest, and more importantly, how we can resurrect something better in their place.
So, let’s take a spooky stroll through the Culture Graveyard and visit five workplace behaviours that should be buried for good.
1. Here lies micromanagement
“Suffocated creativity since the dawn of time. Finally buried by trust and autonomy.”
How it haunts workplaces
Micromanagement was once a hallmark of traditional leadership- it was believed that closer supervision meant better results. Luckily today, most companies have realised that micromanagement is a creativity killer. When every move is monitored, employees feel restricted, disempowered, and unable to bring their best ideas to the table.
How to bury it for good
👻 Delegate authority, not just tasks: Trust your team with decision-making power, not just execution.
👻 Create a culture of ownership: Encourage employees to take full responsibility for their projects.
👻 Offer guidance, not control: Provide support when needed but allow autonomy in daily work.
Case study: At Atlassian, the company replaced rigid management with self-organising teams, trusting employees to set their own goals. The result? 30% more innovation across teams and a significant boost in employee engagement.
2. RIP lack of transparency
“Kept everyone in the dark. Laid to rest by open communication and shared goals.”
How it haunts workplaces
Decisions and information used to be kept at the top, with leadership controlling what flowed down to employees. Transparency was seen as risky, leading to a culture of need-to-know communication. However in the modern workplace, a lack of transparency creates distrust and disengagement. When employees are kept in the dark, they feel disconnected from the company’s vision and purpose, and collaboration suffers.
How to bury it for good
👻 Share company goals regularly: Ensure that employees understand both the big picture and how their work contributes to it.
👻 Allow for open dialogue: Create opportunities for employees to ask questions and get honest answers.
👻 Encourage upward feedback: Allow employees to voice their concerns and provide feedback to leadership without fear of retaliation.
Case study: Buffer, known for its radical transparency, shares everything from salaries to company financials with employees. This transparency has created a culture of trust, leading to higher retention rates and greater employee satisfaction.
3. Gone and forgotten: hustle culture
“Worked itself into the ground. Survived by work/life balance and wellbeing initiatives.”
How it haunts workplaces
For years, hustle culture was glorified. Working long hours, grinding non-stop, and sacrificing personal time were seen as the marks of dedication and success. Companies believed that the harder employees worked, the better the results. The hustle culture myth has now been debunked by rising burnout rates and disengagement- it might get short-term results, but it’s unsustainable and harmful in the long run.
How to bury it for good
👻 Establish clear boundaries: Encourage employees to fully disconnect after work hours and take their annual leave.
👻 Promote flexibility: Offer flexible work hours or remote options to help employees balance their work and personal lives.
👻 Prioritise well-being: Invest in mental health resources, wellness programs, and actively model healthy work-life balance from leadership down.
Case study: Dropbox introduced “Unplugged Fridays,” where employees take one Friday off every month to rest and recharge. This initiative led to a significant decrease in burnout, with employees reporting higher satisfaction and productivity.
4. In loving memory of silos
“Slowed progress for decades. Finally streamlined by efficient processes.”
How it haunts workplaces
Silos emerged in larger organisations as departments grew and specialised. The thinking was that keeping teams separated would increase focus and efficiency. However, this often created barriers to collaboration, leading to miscommunication and inefficiency. Today, silos are one of the most damaging forces to collaboration and innovation. Teams that don’t collaborate fail to see the bigger picture, and ideas or innovations get stuck in one corner of the company.
How to bury it for good
👻 Encourage cross-functional teams: Create opportunities for departments to collaborate on projects and share knowledge.
👻 Remove barriers to communication: Use tools that allow for seamless information sharing across the organisation, like Slack or regular 121s or other rituals.
👻 Celebrate collaborative success: Recognise achievements that come from inter-departmental collaboration to encourage future teamwork.
Case study: At Procter & Gamble, cross-functional teams were formed to tackle product innovation. The result was faster time-to-market and a 15% increase in overall productivity due to smoother collaboration between departments.
As we rise above the ghosts of workplace culture past, we can embrace practices that breathe life into trust, creativity, and wellbeing instead. By doing this, organisations don’t just improve morale, they unlock innovation, boost employee engagement, and create a thriving, high-performance culture that’s built to last.
