While no work environment is perfect, a toxic workplace is defined as being disrespectful, discriminatory, distrustful and many times hostile. You might feel extreme tension in the office, avoid speaking up for fear of retribution or even find yourself excluded from meetings for no reason.
Toxic employees can be identified by their overconfidence, self-centered attitudes, and lack of cooperation. They often disrespect co-workers and prioritize their interests over the team's. Their behavior disrupts team dynamics, lowers morale, and hinders productivity.
The impact of workplace trauma can vary from person to person, depending on the nature of the trauma, the individual's coping mechanisms, and their support system. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for employees to experience PTSD due to dealing with terrible bosses or toxic work environments.
Signs of a Toxic Work Environment - 10 Signs You're In a Toxic Work Culture
33 related questions found
Can I quit my job because of toxic work environment?
Quitting may have its drawbacks, but this will be one form of immediate relief you can achieve right now. If you quit your position or employer due to such hostility, you may also still be able to collect unemployment benefits.
It is a persistent negative attitude that is shared with others against their will. From a psychological standpoint, the toxic employee is sharing their discontent with others to make themselves feel better. Toxic coworkers are also known to make excuses for their poor performance.
Often times they don't even realize they're being toxic in the first place. Many factors can cause an employee's toxic behavior. They can be related to past experiences or trauma, the lack of appreciation from colleagues or the organization, or ego.
They put down, bully, or offend other coworkers. They always procrastinate at work. They use triangulation to draw others into their conflict relationships. They spread gossip at the office, judge others, and hold grudges.
It's red flags on top of red flags. It's a passive-aggressive boss or inappropriate comments from your coworkers about the person you replaced. It's reduced (or non-existent) boundaries. A toxic workplace does not provide psychological safety or any feeling of security.
“When you feel like you have exhausted all avenues to improve your experience in the workplace, you may start to consider leaving the job entirely—and that is absolutely a viable choice. Staying in a draining workplace environment at the expense of your physical and mental health is a clear path to burnout.”
The bulldozer. For business success and growth, you need employees who are willing to create and defend their ideas – but you don't need bulldozers. ...
To channel strong-minded employees you need to give them a role that they can take charge of. For people that find taking orders or backing down difficult, this can be the opportunity to give them the autonomy they crave but with firm boundaries.
HR isn't necessarily the right place to go, but they will know what you should do. They will also know how to document and get your complaint pushed to the top. Lots of companies have anonymous hotlines for things like this, but if your company doesn't, and you don't know who to speak to, come to HR.
Toxic coworkers are often unsatisfied with their own personal performance, position, pay, or experience in the workforce and they've allowed that dissatisfaction to come to such a boiling point that they become detractors within the culture, says Robert H.
When someone is thinking, “I want to leave my job but I'm scared,” the prospect of a different and unpredictable future is often a significant source of that fear. Social circumstances, varying levels of support, and peer pressure can also contribute to someone's hesitancy to leave a cushy gig.
Toxic environments can also impair employees' lives beyond their workplaces, leaving them feeling emotionally drained and experiencing lower well-being and increased conflict at home.
