4 signs your workplace is toxic

1. Limited opportunities for growth

   If you or your co-workers feel stuck, it’s probably a sign that your organization provides little to no opportunity for upward mobility. In other words, the chances of a promotion are slim to none, there is minimum training and development initiatives and meagre recognition or reward efforts. The theory of social exchange tells us that successful relationships are built on reciprocity. In the work setting, employees provide their time and service in exchange for benefits. Now, you may think that wages are benefits, which they are. However, modern organizations recognize that employees who feel valued and appreciated are much more willing to perform efficiently and proactively. Hence, the importance of developing proper evaluation processes that pave the way for employees to be promoted based on merit. If employees have promotion goals to work towards, this will help them to feel motivated. Similarly, training and development opportunities is an investment in employees’ skills that can be transferred across departments. Not only does training enhance career development but it also improves performance. So if your organization is not making these investments in staff, then it sends a signal that you are not valued.  

2. Poor work-life balance

   Your organization may not have clear boundaries or guidelines outlining communication norms. This can range from gossiping or co-workers/ managers discussing sexual or other personal matters in the office to sending texts, emails and calls after work hours. It’s no surprise that a work environment conducive these behaviours would contribute to anxiety, stress, burnout and even physical illnesses. If you find yourself cancelling scheduled plans with your family and friends, constantly thinking or worrying about work when you are away from the office, responding to emails on vacations, then you may need to put more effort into work-life balance. Poor work-life balance means that you are struggling to manage the demands in two important sectors of your life and sooner or later, these competing demands will cause you to underperform in one or both sectors. Your organization may not be providing adequate resources (i.e. social, psychological or financial support) to meet the job demand or expectations.

3. Hostile work environment

   Your workplace feels threatening or hostile. This may include bullying from your co-workers or supervisors. Workplace bullying includes behaviours that belittle others. E.g. humiliation, sarcasm, rudeness, overworking an employee, threats, and violence. Bullying can take the form of name calling, sexual harassment, making the victim a scapegoat, and applying undue work pressure. Bullying is especially harmful when the perpetrator is in a leadership position. Behaviours of toxic leaders include:

   • promoting inequity

   • ack of integrity (e.g. shifting blame, deception, breaching contracts)

   • poor leader-subordinate relationships

   • abusive supervision (e.g. verbal assaults or public reprimand)

   • unpredictability

4. High turnover

   All the above-mentioned signs can contribute to employees deciding that an organization does not fit their personality or personal goals, leading to feelings of dissatisfaction and ultimately the decision to voluntarily leave the organization. If your organization has a high turnover rate, then there is usually a good reason why people are leaving in droves and its usually a sign that the work environment is toxic.

How to cope with a toxic environment

Find a support system- It is important that you do not feel alone. If your work environment is truly toxic, I guarantee you, there are other co-workers who also share similar sentiments. Find like-minded co-workers to help ease your time at the office. However, be very careful about venting your frustrations at work, you don’t want to be accused of gossiping or bad mouthing your organization. If you must vent, find support outside of the office to share your frustrations with.

Find a mentor or coach- If you don’t quite understand how to manoeuvre the social intricacies of your workspace, then you might want to consider getting yourself a mentor. While it would be best to find a mentor within your organization, this may prove to be difficult in a toxic environment. In that case, an external mentor in a similar field is also a good option. A mentor or other third party (such as a career coach) can give good insight and provide unbiased perspective that will help you to determine whether your issues at work are due to your personal shortcomings or if the environment is toxic. Furthermore, a third party, can also give sage advice that may help you to develop strategies and goals to better manoeuvre your work environment.

Establish healthy boundaries- It’s important for you to have personal boundaries that dictate how you want to be spoken to or treated by others. If you are someone who struggles with setting boundaries, then you may want to write down a list of non-negotiables that you expect in your interaction with others. For example, no gossiping, no shouting etc. Once you have your non-negotiables, then you must find ways to communicate this to your co-workers. For example, I didn’t appreciate the way you spoke to me during our meeting etc.  You should also consider your course of action when these boundaries are crossed. Yes, you must be prepared to stand your ground or enforce these boundaries! Document instances that you feel have crossed your line and submit them to HR. If you continuously allow interactions that you are unhappy with, negative feelings will fester and it is highly likely that you will become resentful of others. Furthermore, we all have different sensibilities and values, so do not take it for granted that someone knows how you want to or ought to be treated.

Create an exit strategy- If you’ve rationalized that the prospect of your toxic environment changing is unlikely, then you may want to consider finding other options. Use your personal contacts and social media to see what else is out there. Make a detailed list of your accomplishments and see what potential there is for a new position elsewhere.  Most importantly, build your repertoire of skills. Go to workshops, evening or online classes, go back to school if necessary or learn a completely different skill, make steps to start that business you always had in mind. Frankly, the possibilities are endless. However, you must determine the skills, capital and steps required to achieve these goals. Design your plan, with targeted goals to accomplish by a specific time and hold yourself accountable.

A toxic work environment makes it difficult to function effectively and in the long-run may also negatively impact your self-esteem and mental health. While you may feel helpless, try to find support inside your organization. Besides like-minded co-workers, most organizations usually have internal processes for resolving disputes. However, you my also wish to find external support and increase your skills to seek other opportunities.