11 Signs of a Toxic Work Environment (How to Handle it or Get Out)

You might be feeling like your job has a culture that’s TOXIC. Trust me, I know the feeling, waking up and thinking, “I hate this job.”  I know that might sound harsh, but working in a toxic environment takes its toll on you. 

And the truth is toxic environments are more common than you realize.  According to a recent study, toxic culture is the #1 reason people leave their jobs. 

If you’re waking up dreading the day ahead because;

·        You dislike your team, boss, or company;

·        Want a raise, but haven’t been able to get one at your current job; or

·        Feel stuck at your job

Forbes says, “Toxicity at work seems to be on the rise—or maybe workers are finally feeling empowered enough to call it what it’s been all along.” 

So, let's review the top signs - so you can navigate or leave the situation.

What is a Toxic Work Environment?

All jobs have some level of stress — even on good days. However, if the thought of going to your job leaves you feeling drained, stressed, or dreading the day ahead, you might be in a toxic work environment.  

 A toxic work environment is any job where the work, atmosphere, people, or any combination of those disrupts your life. 

Having these challenges continuously part of the "normal" day-to-day can leave you feeling overworked, unseen, and frustrated.  Which can negatively impact your personal and professional life including:   

 ·        Mental & physical health (immune system, depression, anxiety)

·        Work performance

·        Motivation

·        Productivity

·        Confidence (doubting their abilities or accomplishments)

·        Creativity & innovation

·        Being too scared to speak up or ask for help; and

·        Professional growth

 Signs of a Toxic Work Environment & How to Handle it

 Poor Communication

 Transparent communication is key to a healthy environment to help employees be successful.

 Employees should understand their role, expectations, what the company vision is and how their position contributes to it.

 When employees don’t know what’s going on, hear mixed messages about plans, or receive passive- aggressive communication, this can lead to confusion and frustration. 

 A company with poor communication includes: 

 Lack of clarity around projects

• Different employees receive different messages

• Passive-aggressive communication

• Consistent “after- hours” communication

• Supervisors giving ongoing criticism without constructive feedback 

How to handle this: Have conversations with your boss and discuss your role, needs, and goals. Ask for more clarity, feedback, better communication, etc.).

Bad Leadership

Many companies have people in management that don’t have the skills needed to be a great boss and leader.  A bad boss can make employees feel alone in their roles, disconnected, unsupported, and not valued.

 Signs of a bad boss:

 ·        Gossips

·        Poor communication

·        Harassment

·        Micromanaging

·        Doesn’t lead by example

·        Dismissive

·        Doesn’t trust or support you in your role

·        Constantly corrects without providing constructive feedback

·        Blames everyone else for mistakes without taking ownership 

·        Takes credit for your work or ideas from employees

 Lack of Positive Feedback

 A simple thank you or constructive feedback goes a long way.  Because, no feedback is feedback.

 Without feedback, it results in employees starting to doubt their work, lack  confidence, think their manager isn’t pleased, and leaves them confused.

 In a healthy environment, employees are given constructive feedback for growth, room for development and appreciation.  However, if a supervisor only provides negative feedback (especially without options for improvement), employees feel discouraged, and unmotivated.

 How to handle this: Ask your manager for a balanced approach of feedback.  This can include more constructive feedback of areas to improve and positive feedback.

 Gossip Culture

 Communication should be clear and not distributed through gossip.

 When gossip culture is “normal,” it creates an unhealthy environment of misunderstandings and a lack of trust of what is true vs. hearsay. 

 You should also be able to approach different situations and have conversations with your boss or HR without it becoming gossip for the entire company.

 How to handle this: Don’t engage in the gossip and continue to rise above it. 

 No Work-Life Balance

Every position is different for requirements, but there’s always a way to ensure employees are being taken care of.

 You deserve to be at a company that recognizes employees as people first.   That they care about people’s wellbeing, listens to their employees, is supportive if something personal’s going on, etc.

 Employees should be able to have a healthy work-life balance, take a vacation without interruptions, and not have to check emails after hours, etc.

 How to handle this: Create and hold boundaries for better work-life balance.

 Cliques & Exclusion

 You should be able to get equal opportunities based on your talent and experience.

There might be colleagues who are closer friends than others, but it's toxic when projects are offered only to certain groups or cliques, regardless of talent or experience.

For example, your boss invites Joe, who is in the same role as you, and discusses upcoming deals to work on. He never asks you to be part of these conversations, which affects your job because these lunches give Joe more information on closing the deal than if you both were at lunch.

How to handle this: Have conversations with your boss about being included in meetings or conversations that impact your role.

Lack of Trust & Blame Culture

A toxic culture is where there isn’t trust, support, or respect between colleagues.  Also, employees place blame on one another if a mistake is made.

Employees need to feel comfortable asking for help, provide constructive feedback to one another, and understand how working together helps the team succeed.

Signs of lack of trust or blame culture:

·        Not having an ability to take risks (because of fear of being reprimanded if it doesn’t go as exactly as planned)

·        Co-workers not trusting one another or feeling comfortable asking for help (turns into blaming one another)

Unmotivated Co-workers  

You work so many hours a week, so you want to be around people who are encouraging to be around. 

Employees want to be able to talk with one another, ask questions, and have “water cooler” talk of, “How are you doing,” “How was your weekend?” 

In a toxic work environment, you’ll feel the tension in the office with no one interacting with each other.  Even if you’re working remotely, you should still pick up on interactions.

High Employee Turnover

Some companies will always have new jobs available, especially during growth times, but this differs from high turnover.

High turnover is when people in large numbers leave because of a toxic work environment, bad leadership, lack of growth opportunities, etc.

If you notice this at your current job, it might be time to look at the other signs to see if this high turnover is due to a toxic work environment. 

 Hostile Work Environment

A hostile work environment is defined as, unwelcome conduct based on race, sex, pregnancy, religion, age, disability, or genetics.

How to handle this: Talk to HR and/or consult with a lawyer.  Start documenting everything because if you file anything with HR or a formal complaint, you’ll need evidence to back your claim.  Save emails, take notes from conversations with the date, items discussed, and who was part of the conversation. 

 Lack of Growth Opportunities

 You should feel supported for growth and be able to discuss opportunities for promotions or learning opportunities to expand your role.

 Not every position will have clear cut career paths.  But with every role, there can be opportunities for continued learning that will help you continue to advance in your career.

How to handle this: Have a conversation with your boss about growth opportunities, new projects to help you learn, or ask for a promotion & raise.

How to Handle Toxic Work Situations & Make a Change

Trust your intuition because if things feel off, they probably are. If you realize you’re in a toxic work environment, you can:

 1)   Have conversations with your boss or HR.

Discuss your concerns regarding the different toxic situations, how it impacts you, your job performance, and experience with the company, and offer solutions.

 2)   Continue to show up and act with integrity at work. I know this one seems hard, but don’t stoop to a toxic level.

 3)   Some companies have a toxic culture that won’t improve because it takes leadership to make changes.  So, it might be time to start your exit strategy and find a new job.

Final Thoughts: Tips for Finding a New Job

Your life, well-being, and what you have to offer are too important to be at a toxic job.  So, trust yourself and know when it might be time to quit, and take time to decide what you want for your next career move.

Once you start looking for a new job, make sure you create a Winning Resume, tailored for specific roles, and practice the top interview questions. So you can ACE your interviews and secure that great job or DREAM job!

I know it’s not an easy choice, but you can do this! 

- Melody Joy