As Aristotle put it: “pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” But, if a person starts to fail at their job, and feels unhappy, how can they know if it’s them – or the workplace itself? All jobs have some level of stress — even on good days. However, if going to work (or just the thought of going to work) makes you tired, depressed, or even physically ill, that’s more than just general work stress. Here are some common signs of a toxic work environment.
Poor communication
Do you feel like you’re left out of the loop regarding important information? A pervasive lack of communication characterises most toxic workplaces. You may get little to no feedback about your performance, and when you do, it’s negative and harsh – not the constructive type. You may be doing the work of two, three, or four people, yet it’s not unusual for your boss or colleagues to take credit for your accomplishments.
There are no boundaries around work.
Toxic cultures often normalise and glorify a lack of healthy boundaries, encouraging you to prioritise work over everything else. Management might push themselves to burnout and exhaustion and expect their teams to do the same, whether they’re working in the office or virtually. Maybe they expect employees to stay as late as they do in the office, for instance, or respond to messages and emails at all hours on the weekend. Look out for this trait during the recruiting process, as it can often become visible early. If the hiring manager is giving you a task on a Friday afternoon and wants it back by Monday morning, or expects you to respond to emails on a quick turnaround early in the morning or late at night, that could be a red flag.
You have a tyrannical boss
This type of boss is always trying to control your every move and you feel as if they are just waiting to pounce on you for messing up. Toxic bosses usually seem unwilling to listen to others and feel as if their way is always the right way. Your boss loves wielding their power and showing others that they’re in charge. They probably aren’t willing to lend a hand to help in tasks or give you credit for a job well done. If you feel as if your boss would expect you to come to work even if you were on your deathbed, you might be experiencing a tyrannical and toxic boss.
Unmotivated coworkers
We’re not saying that you should judge your work on the quality (or lack of quality) of those around you. However, when you find yourself in a workplace full of unmotivated coworkers, it’s going to take its toll on you. Just like your colleagues can motivate you to work harder, be better, and incubate new ideas, they can also wear you down. Unmotivated employees are usually a result of a much larger organisational problem. Perhaps it’s bad communication from the top. It might be disorganisation, disenfranchisement with leadership, or general distrust. Whatever it is, if everyone around you is unmotivated, you’re probably in a toxic work environment.
There are cliques, exclusion, and gossipy behaviour
If cliques dominate your office, it can feel as if you’re back in high school all over again. You may be anxious and paranoid that your colleagues are talking about you. Toxic, cliquey co-workers are most likely to be found hovering around the water cooler whispering in each other’s ears. They make what should be friendly workplace competition seem hostile and dog-eat-dog. There’s always rumours or gossip floating around the office; misunderstanding, favouritism, and infighting are the norm.
There’s a rapid employee turnover rate
One of the most obvious symptom of a toxic work environment is turnover. It’s conventional wisdom that “people don’t leave their job, they leave their boss,” and toxic bosses create toxic environments that drive people away. Of course, it’s better to catch problems before they get to that level, so keep communication open and make sure your team knows they can talk to you first.
There’s no growth
If you’ve approached management or HR several times regarding a lack of recognition and growth opportunities (such as promotions, raises, and challenging assignments), and have seen no changes, it may be time to leave.
A toxic work environment is one where negative behaviour – such as manipulation, bullying, yelling, and so on – are so intrinsic to the culture of the organisation that a lack of productivity, a lack of trust, high stress levels, infighting, and discrimination become the norm. Fortunately, in recent years, there’s been a true shift toward making workplaces more transparent, nurturing, and inclusive, and the conversation around toxicity is now more open and accessible to everyone. This means that leaders and employees alike are now far more aware of what a toxic work environment looks like – and what to do about it.
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