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Do you often find yourself going home drained, tired and stressed out because of work? Are you at a place where you literally have to give yourself a little pep talk so that you can leave the bed to prepare for work? Do you always dread working with your colleagues and often choose to keep to yourself while at work?
A friend told me once that things got so bad at work that for two weeks she would only speak to her seniors on a need-to-speak basis. Even though she was earning a decent income from that job, it took all her time and eventually cost her health.
She was overworking, over-exerting herself while constantly asking for additional pair of hands to lessen the burden. Eventually due to fatigue and fewer hours of sleep her body couldn’t take it anymore. She had to be hospitalized for a month while on heavy medication.
Additionally, she lost so much weight because she had also lost her appetite.
Her doctor put her on compulsory rest and she had to leave the job.
Unfortunately for many of us we usually entertain toxicity for a time till things go from bad to worse. And if we don’t move we reach the tipping point where all hell breaks loose. That job and income that we were trying to protect by staying in that unhealthy situation, ends up costing us more than we were willing to pay.
Therefore, it’s time that you took action and prioritized your mental health, physical health and peace of mind. At the end of the day, you can’t be effective and even work to your optimal best as long as you’re being weighed down by toxicity. Every human being has a breaking point.
The first thing you should do is acknowledge that you’re working in a toxic environment.
What’s a toxic workplace?
According to Top Resume, a toxic workplace is a place where the atmosphere, the work, the people involved disrupt the rest of your life in a major way. There is no denying that there are times work becomes stressful. But if these disruptions result in sleepless nights, a racing heartbeat, sweaty palms, significant infighting which often negatively impacts productivity, you are definitely working in a toxic environment.
Toxic work environments follow you home even when you leave the office because they consume your conversations with loved ones. Because that’s all you talk about. In other cases, they also start harming your personal relationships because you’re always grumpy or unavailable to spend time with friends and family. And many times you avoid regular meetings with them so that you don’t project your emotional issues on them.
The following are characteristics of a toxic workplace that you need to watch out for:
Poor and borderline negative communication
If you notice that you don’t always have the necessary information to effectively perform your tasks, you should raise your antennas. Do you often find yourself having to keep on asking constant questions to fish for vital information? That might be a toxic workplace.
You also feel lonely because seniors don’t communicate often with you and never give positive feedback for your evident hard work. That’s a very strong sign that your workplace is toxic.
Other indicators of poor communication are:
· Different employees receiving different messages
· Calls and texts when work hours are over.
· Poor listening skills
· Passive-aggressive communication
· Constant threats of losing your job
There is often a lot of confusion that arises from poor communication and that leads to friction, tension and disagreements.
Ineffective leadership
Bad leadership and toxic workplaces are bona fide Siamese twins. These are supervisors and bosses who constantly micromanage you while finding fault in all you do. They also take away your voice by putting you down and even undermine your decisions.
These managers never take responsibility if they fail but instead pass on the blame to you and other colleagues. They don’t respect boundaries and call or email you at ungodly hours. Those signs are positive diagnosis of a toxic work environment.
Employees
The following employee issues indicate that you’re working in a toxic workplace:
· They group themselves into cliques that often make others feel alienated and sidelined. This births conflict and division.
· When employees are constantly calling in sick because of burnout, fatigue, migraines and so on, that’s enough evidence that there’s a high level of toxicity in that workplace. Because toxic environments result in physical illness more often than not.
· If you notice that employees are leaving the company in their droves as if they’re escaping prison, pay attention to the signs. You’re in a toxic work environment.
· Lastly, have you and your colleagues lost all the motivation and drive to work and achieve results? Do you notice that there’s little engagement and contribution in meetings? It’s definitely true that you’re in a toxic workplace.
Interventions
Establish boundaries and stick to them
Ensure that your work doesn’t spill over to your personal life. This can be done by observing work hours strictly and limiting your availability when work hours are over.
Find a way to cool off after work
What are your hobbies? Start doing them after work. This can be swimming, rehearsing some music, going to the gym, or learning a new skill. With these interventions, you will relieve stress and dispel tensions. It’s also great for your mental health.
Develop genuine friendships with colleagues who are on the same page as you. There is strength in partnership and association. You’ll encourage each other and have each other’s back when a person needs it.
Document emails, comments and decisions, interactions and so on so that they can serve as evidence in case a false accusation is made against you. The evidence will also come in handy in case you need to file a complaint.
When all else fails prioritize your physical and mental health and leave. Losing your health could cost you a lot financially, socially and eventually inhibit your productivity. Cut your losses before the damage gets to an irreparable level and walk away with your sanity intact.
Conclusion
Be honest with yourself after performing a comprehensive analysis of the place you’re working in. If indeed the signs strongly indicate that you’re working in a toxic workplace, accept it. Then choose the best intervention that will benefit you and also advance your career. Always prioritize yourself because you only have one life to live and you should make it count.