Is Your Workplace Toxic?

We’ve all had bad days, weeks, or months on the job. But a toxic work environment is more than that. A toxic work environment fosters bad behavior from both employees and employers and is often symptomatic of larger institutional issues. Anyone in any industry can find themselves in a toxic work environment. A toxic workplace can seriously affect your physical well-being and mental health.

This article discusses the signs of a toxic workplace and what to do if you find yourself in one. If you find yourself in a toxic workplace, contact an experienced employment law lawyer. They can offer tailored legal advice, determine if your colleagues or employer are breaking any laws, and take legal action to hold those responsible for the toxicity accountable.

What Causes a Toxic Work Environment?

There’s no single factor that causes a toxic work environment. Dysfunctional workplaces come in many forms, and several types can exist across a single organization. Some of the most common causes are:

• Poor communication
• Lack of clear company values
• Allowing harassment, bullying, and discrimination

Truly toxic work environments often have more than one of these factors at play and are usually more than just a rotten company culture. Additionally, toxic employees can exist at any level of an organization. Toxic environments tend to get worse when someone in a management or leadership position participates in toxic behaviors.

Signs of a Toxic Workplace

It can be hard to see the warning signs of a toxic work environment, especially if you’ve been working there for a long time. Here are a few red flags to watch out for:

• High employee turnover
• Frequent office gossip and office drama
• Low morale
• Few growth opportunities
• Micromanagement and excessive communication when you’re off the clock
• Lack of professional development opportunities
• Lack of feedback
• Lack of teamwork
• Favoritism, cliques, and unfair workloads
• Little response from human resources
• Poor work-life balance
• Many people call in sick or come to work sick
• Employees who “try too hard” are bullied

Employees in a toxic workplace might be discouraged or reprimanded for taking legally required breaks. Toxic employers and toxic bosses often try to make workers feel lucky to have a job to justify unhealthy practices.

Effects of a Toxic Workplace

Toxic work environments harm everyone involved, including bosses, employees, and customers.

Effects On Employees

If left unchecked, toxic practices can erode your self-esteem. Employees in a toxic workplace often have difficulty performing to the best of their ability. Burnout is characterized by chronic stress and can include physical symptoms, like trouble sleeping and digestive issues, as well as emotional symptoms, like irritability or constantly feeling ineffective. People’s problems in a toxic work environment often follow them home. Work issues take over, and enjoying time with family and loved ones is hard.

Effects On Employers

The high employee turnover that comes with a toxic workplace is ultimately bad for a business’s bottom line. Training new employees costs more than many may think.

Plus, employees aren’t productive if they struggle to find meaning in their work. Toxic work environments just don’t function at the same level as others, even if everyone is continuously swamped.

How to Deal With a Toxic Work Environment

Coping with a toxic work environment isn’t easy. For most people, leaving and finding a new job is the best way to improve their situation. But you can do a few other things to make the experience more manageable and foster a healthy workplace. Not all of them will work for everyone or every toxic workplace culture.

Try To Be Positive

You can’t always control the people who cause a toxic workplace, but you can control how you respond to the toxic work culture. Think about how you can maintain a positive attitude. Or, find ways you can avoid contributing to the issues that make your workplace unpleasant. If you hear coworkers gossiping, don’t participate. Even better, point out that their actions don’t support a productive workplace. Focusing on your own language can go a long way.

Keep Work at Work

Venting to someone you trust about issues at work can sometimes be helpful. But if you find that most of your conversations are dominated by bad office experiences, it’s time for new boundaries.

Leave the Organization

Of course, this is easier said than done. But, if your workplace environment affects your mental health, physical health, or life outside of work, it might be time to explore other opportunities. If you decide to leave, remember that you still have certain rights.

Take Legal Action

In some cases, leaving a toxic workplace is not enough. If you have experienced harassment, discrimination, or a violation of your employee rights, contact an experienced employment law lawyer. They will assess your case and take appropriate legal action. Far too many organizations will not make changes to fix a toxic environment until they are told to do so by the courts.