Realizing you’re in a toxic workplace can be tricky. Maybe it’s your first job out of school and you think all offices are like this, or you got a new boss and you think this is just how they do things, or maybe it’s something completely different. Being in a toxic work environment isn’t healthy and the sooner you realize you’re in one, the sooner you can get out.
If you’re trying to figure out if you’re in a toxic work environment think about these flags…
Toxic Work Environment – Red Flags
The bosses are narcissistic. If you’ve ever called your mom after work and said “I hate my boss” then you know what I mean here. The leadership in this office is always right and you always have to agree with them. They’re arrogant, hostile, and domineering. The leadership is distrustful and can fly into anger at any perceived threat – notice how I said perceived. They don’t care about what really happened just how it looks at first blush. Bottom line – you will never be right with them.
You can never respectfully disagree. In public or in private you expressing a differing opinion or even simply questioning a reason for an action for your own edification does not result in anything good. If your boss cannot conduct themselves appropriately with respectful dialogue this isn’t a good place.
A work/life balance doesn’t exist. There is an expectation for you to be available or on call 24/7. Vacation time isn’t respected and if you leave before 7pm or aren’t observed putting in time on the weekend then you’re called out and treated badly.
Your gut says ‘this isn’t good.’ Trust your gut, there’s a reason why this advice has been around so long. If you have a gut feeling about your work environment being toxic then you need to start thinking about what’s going on around you. Look at what happening to your coworkers; the toxicity might not be focused on you yet but you’ll be able to see it creeping in on others.
It feels like high school. Are there cliques, is there drama, and does gossip run rampant? Yeah no one wants to go back to that. This flag is even worse if your leadership participates in any of those things.
Toxic Work Environment – Yellow Flags
Turnover is high. While this doesn’t necessarily equal a toxic work environment it can be very telling. Why are these turnovers happening? Are they leaving because of family moves or are they moving to jobs that are a step up? Those are expected turnovers. But if people are being pushed out because they aren’t in the ‘cool crowd’ or leaving for lateral or step down jobs then that’s a problem.
Underperformers are never addressed by the leadership. The slackers in the office are allowed to float if the leadership likes them or maybe they go unnoticed because the leadership doesn’t care.
Promotions look exactly like the boss. If bosses don’t promote a diverse group of people, in race/outlook/gender etc then maybe they can’t see what’s best for the office.
So you’ve spotted the flags…
My hope for you is that, unlike me in my last relationship, you recognize these red/yellow flags and act on them before it’s too late. You might need to repeat a calming mantra to keep yourself centered when you finally come to the conclusion you’re in a toxic environment. When you realize you’re in a toxic work environment there’s really only one thing you can do:
GET OUT
You need to formulate an exit strategy and do it now. Understanding that exits can take time one step you need make immediately is to document everything. Go past simply writing these things down – email your personal email a summary each day of what went down and what you think needs to be remembered and documented. This not only makes sure the information is easily acceptable but it also gives you a date stamp on when these things happened. This is important because if you ever need to show HR when things happen you’ll have a timeline all ready to go. This also backs you up on timelines because if you say X happens on Jan 10 it’s better than you notated that on Jan 10 or 11 rather than on March 20 in your meeting with HR.
While you’re formulating your exit strategy you want to make sure you’re living a full life outside the office. Leaving your job can be rough so schedule this time outside work. Take a weekend to go wine tasting, get a massage, take a cooking class, take a mental health day, and make sure your life outside work is fun and fulfilling.
