FinTech Futures Jobs: Is your office culture blameless, or blame-filled?

Everyone makes mistakes at work. In fact, some people make far more catastrophic mistakes than others, with a recent study by Iron Mountain finding that 12% of UK workers have taken a risk that cost their company money.

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One in six have made that heart-sinking error of hitting “reply all” to a private email, instead of just to one person. Another 12% admit to leaving sensitive documents on their desk for others to see, and 13% have forgotten to mute themselves before saying something inappropriate on a work call.

In the same vein, 8% of workers admit to not hanging up the phone correctly before saying something about the person on the other end. Yikes.

While everyone understands that mistakes happen, with almost half (42%) of the workers polled admitting to making a mistake or taking a risk that left them red-faced at work, it is how you respond to an error that ultimately matters.

Ideally, you’ll accept responsibility for the misstep and swiftly move towards a solution that will fix the problem.

But that can all depend on where you work. Some leaders are cognisant of the fact that mistakes get made, understanding that forensic investigations and finger-pointing are often not remotely productive.

Instead, a good manager will prefer a brief acknowledgement of your culpability followed by a concrete fix to remedy the issue. In fact, for workers, developing the ability to own up to mistakes can be a way to show your integrity. Owning your mishaps can help to pave the way for trust and openness in the workplace.

The blame game

But that’s in an ideal world. Many workplaces don’t operate like that and instead foster a blame culture, which in turn leads to a hostile environment.

When you know that the response to any small mistake will be an inquisition, and the normal way of doing things is to accuse and apportion blame, it has a number of consequences.

We hold onto negative experiences for longer, according to one academic study featured in Sage. It found that the brain responds more strongly to bad experiences than good ones, with our memories retaining them longer.

Another study by the British Psychological Society measured employees’ moods and found that when they reported a negative event, it affected their mood five times more than a positive event would.

And there are other downsides, too. Blame culture can lead to people hesitating to speak up and being afraid to voice their opinions or take risks. They are also less likely to actually admit to any mistakes they might make, which reduces healthy, accountable behaviours and continues the blame cycle.

Blame at work is so corrosive that it can lead to a whole host of outcomes. One study found that 84% of employees say that at least one workplace factor has affected their mental health. Burnout and a lack of connection or engagement at work are other negative results.

It also causes attrition: research from people analytics company Visier found that 43% of UK employees have left a job due to bad management. Another 53% are looking for a new job because of their current manager.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, you may also be thinking about a new job. If that’s the case, then the FinTech Futures Job Board is a great place to start your search. It contains thousands of jobs across the fintech space, such as these three roles below.

Barclays is looking for a Wealth Manager in Manchester to help clients create clear financial plans for their future, supporting them to protect, grow, and enjoy their wealth via a full-service offering.

You’ll need to be educated to degree level or equivalent, be RDR level 4 qualified and have experience of building a client base using internal and external networks.

See more jobs at Barclays here.

In London, Monzo is seeking a Credit Risk Oversight Director. You’ll lead the credit risk oversight team and work closely with colleagues to perform effective and insightful oversight, as well as owning the credit risk management framework.

You’ll need significant experience of leading a credit risk function within a fast-moving and innovative financial services environment.

Explore other opportunities at Monzo.

Starling Bank is looking for a Regulatory Affairs & Policy Associate to ensure that the bank is on top of regulatory developments, that there are no surprises in dealings with regulators, and that it can lend its voice and experience to regulatory policy development.

You’ll need to be passionate about driving change in banking and have knowledge of the regulatory environment.

Check out more roles at Starling Bank here.

For hundreds more opportunities across fintech, visit the FinTech Futures Job Board today.