The workplace was turbulent from the start, but it feels downright tumultuous these days. Mass hirings are transitioning to mass layoffs. The Great Resignation is transitioning to The Great Regret. The pandemic is transitioning to the sansdemic. Change is hard. People react emotionally and these emotions can be negative. Left to simmer, negative emotions produce toxins. How easy is it for you to identify toxicity in your workplace?
Sunday Scaries
Often, your body tells you that you are in a toxic situation before your brain recognizes it. Do you get the Sunday Scaries? If the thought of going to back to work on Monday morning after having the weekend off makes you feel tired, depressed, or physically ill, then your body is trying to tell you something. There are plenty of examples of toxicity in the workplace, but let’s focus on the big three: managers, environment, and habits.
Managers – Your manager may be toxic if they:
- have unspoken expectations (e.g., you are surprised to find a Sunday morning project meeting on your calendar)
- have unrealistic expectations (e.g., they expect you to answer the emails they send late at night)
- do not give you agency to do your job (e.g., insist on controlling everything you do and how and when you do it)
- don’t listen (e.g., they consistently interrupt you when you are talking)
- publicly embarrass you (e.g., in the all-hands meeting they announce that you missed a typo in the last meeting’s minutes)
Environment – Your workplace may be toxic if:
- bullying is allowed (e.g., a coworker habitually yells to get what they want)
- microaggressions are common (e.g., jokes about women and/or people of color are laughed at instead of banned)
- you can’t trust your coworkers (e.g., you are intentionally excluded from emails containing information pertinent to your responsibilities)
- you are not treated with respect (e.g., your coworker sits on top of your desk to talk to your office mate)
- it’s like the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz. “O my! People come and go so quickly here!” (e.g., employee turnover is high)
Habits – Your work habits may be toxic if you:
- feel like you have to always look busy (e.g., downtime makes you nervous)
- interpret every ambiguously worded email negatively (e.g., you think your report is shoddy because your manager requests further explanation)
- are a loner (e.g., you don’t ask questions because you’re afraid to appear stupid)
- engage in office gossip (e.g., participating in negative conversations about coworkers that you would not if they were present)
- frequently put off assignments you don’t like (e.g., the client survey results are ready for data analysis, but you dread sifting through their ideas for improvement)
Points to Ponder
Toxicity causes burnout which makes talent quit. If you are an individual contributor in the workforce, fighting toxicity is like trying to turn the Titanic around. If toxic habits are holding you back, you can change them, but is your reputation already damaged? Searching for another job is daunting, but if you are experiencing a toxic boss or environment, then please consider dusting off your resume and activating your network.
What are examples of toxicity that you faced? Please share in the comments.