Recognizing and Dealing with a Toxic Work Environment

Do you regularly feel anxious about your job? Is Monday the worst day of your week and it just goes downhill from there? Then you might be working in a toxic environment.

There is no such thing as a perfect workplace, but some workplaces are truly terrible. 

Ok, let’s start by defining a toxic work environment. A toxic work environment is one ruled by:

1. Negativity
2. Unfairness
3. Disrespect

 
Let’s dig deeper! Here are some easy-to-spot elements that indicate negativity:

• Your boss is constantly turning down your initiatives, but doesn’t care to explain why your ideas are not good enough

• Your peers often find excuses to avoid working with you towards the common goal
• Spreading rumors and gossip is a common practice 
• You are asked to run fast, but run in circles; your efforts will not make a difference in the long run

Unfairness is another obvious problem:

• You are constantly forced to do work that’s outside your training and capabilities, and get sanctioned when you fail
• You are always assigned the most difficult and unpleasant tasks because no one else would do them
• Rewards are not distributed equitably, and promotions are not made on merit; you know that your hard work is for nothing

 
A lack of respect for the employee’s wellbeing and their work is also a common element:

• You are regularly asked to do menial and unengaging tasks
• The ability to work autonomously is missing, your boss is always breathing down your neck
• The focus is always on performance issues, while your achievements are ignored 
• Working overtime is the norm; the idea of a work-life balance is frowned upon

 
There are 3 more items that are an indication of a toxic work environment, and I want to address them separately. These are the worst situations an employee may be experiencing. 

• Verbal or physical abuse
• Discrimination
• Moral or physical harassment 

 
If you are unfortunate enough to be the target of any of these 3 behaviors, or if you noticed that they are a common practice in your workplace, reach out to your HR representative immediately! These are serious offenses and should not be tolerated.

And if the HR team can’t resolve the issue, find a better job!

Working in a toxic environment affects your physical and mental health. Don’t let that happen! No matter how well you get paid or how high you climbed the corporate ladder, no job is worth your health!

 
Icon used:

https://storyset.com/illustration/hazardous-waste/amico

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