What is a toxic work environment?

What is a toxic work environment?

As more organisations aim to improve inclusivity and diversity within their culture, it’s more important than ever to be able to spot the signs of a toxic workplace.

It’s easy for certain smaller problems to go undetected, until they start to snowball into a major issue. New starters may not recognise the red flags right away, possibly assuming that every workplace is like theirs.

If more people can identify the markers of a toxic work environment, it’s easier to tackle them head-on. This is the only way that businesses will be able to make any kind of meaningful change.

So with this in mind, here are some of the signs to look out for:

• A lack of boundaries. Are you encouraged to prioritise work over everything else, stay late or respond to emails at all hours? If you have a manager who sets this kind of example, the rest of the team are likely to follow suit.

 

• No trust. Does your manager monitor you while at work, either by tracking work activity or physically overseeing the office floor? If you feel overly restricted, not trusted to do your job or constantly check up on, this could be a sign of a lack of trust between colleagues and management.

 

• A blame-heavy culture. Is there room to make a mistake and learn from it, or are errors punished heavily? This kind of blame culture can cause an unhealthy rivalry between colleagues, where co-workers end up being thrown under the bus when something goes awry. It also leaves to unattainable standards of perfection, which no one could realistically live up to.

 

• Unhealthy interpersonal relationships. Is there conflict or camaraderie in the way people in the office talk to each other? If people are rude or blunt when communicating, or just plain ignoring each other – this is a very bad sign. Healthy relationships at work often involve positive interactions, such as smiling, chatting and sharing jokes.

 

• Gaslighting. Have you shared a negative experience with a colleague or manager, and be told that you’re essentially imagining things? This is known as gaslighting, where you’re made to question your own feelings, perceptions or experiences.

 

• High staff turnover. Do people leave the company regularly? This is a tell-tale sign that something is wrong with workplace culture.

 

• Mental stress. If you feel like you’re constantly on high alert but don’t quite know why, this could be a sign of mental stress caused by your working environment.

How does your workplace make you feel?

Of course, spotting the signs of a toxic working environment isn’t always so straightforward. None of the above may be present, but you still feel stressed, rejected, anxious or even tearful at work. This is because toxicity is often systemic – which means it’s not down to the behaviour of one or two people. It often comes down to whether or not you feel emotionally or psychologically safe while at work.

Here’s more from a recent piece on the topic in The Muse:

“A toxic work environment is one where negative behaviors—such as manipulation, bullying, yelling, and so on—are so intrinsic to the culture of the organization that a lack of productivity, a lack of trust, high stress levels, infighting, and discrimination become the norm.”

“You might feel like you’ll be punished, humiliated, or rejected for speaking up—whether to share ideas, raise concerns or objections, or show up as yourself at work.”

“Defining a toxic work environment can be tricky because there are many traits that can make it so, and because the same environment can have different effects on people based on their work history, triggers, and working styles, among other factors.”

Looking to make a change? Find a new role and a better culture fit with Exchange St – search our latest vacancies here.