TOXIC WORK ENVIRONMENT SERIES: PART ONE

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With the recent outcries of employees on toxic bosses and work environments, we have heard lots of bad experiences working with toxic bosses.

Offices are employees’ second home; they spend most of their time at the office. The office shouldn’t be a toxic environment; instead, it should be an environment that enables growth, happiness etc.

This article shows the different signs of a toxic environment .

Signs that you are in a toxic work environment

A toxic work environment can take many forms. Knowing what to look for might help you spot workplace negativity and deal with it more effectively. Here are some frequent indications of a toxic workplace:

  • Gossip and rumor are plenty within the company: 

 Suppose your office feels like a hairdressing salon filled with gossip and murmuring, then a professional workplace. Talk can lead to cliques forming, which means there’s an exclusionist culture in place; this is a sign of a toxic environment Rumormongering and gossiping incessantly reveals a leadership team is unconcerned about their employees’ safety and privacy. These are childish and inappropriate acts.

  • Your suggestions are not valued:

When you speak up or give a suggestion that might help the company grow, managers or team leaders do not listen. So ,if your contribution isn’t valued, it’s a hint that management doesn’t love its workers. An organization that doesn’t value its employees will allow a toxic environment to flourish.

  • Narcissistic leadership:

Your supervisor or superiors expect you to always agree with them, tell them they’re correct and believe they’re above the law. They hold everyone else to higher standards when they can only reach their own.Unfortunately, narcissistic leaders are far from uncommon. Self-interest, lack of empathy, lack of self-awareness, or any of the behaviour listed here are examples of these inclinations.

  • Low morale or enthusiasm to work:

Look around the workplace. Is there anyone who appears to like working there? Is anyone ever happy? If workers seem unhappy working at the company, you can conclude the work environment is toxic. However, we are all entitled to being in a slump at times during a particularly stressful work week.

  • Lack of work-life balance:

Your employer believes you should prioritize work over everything else, You should be able to take sick leave without feeling guilty. Working for a company that forces employees to put their health on hold for their jobs is untenable in the current atmosphere. A toxic environment is created by a company that does not allow employees to maintain a work-life balance. You deserve to have a whole life outside of work.

  • Lack of empathy and compassion from office leaders:

Leaders who lack empathy or compassion are often narcissists, making it difficult to prioritize their staff. These leaders will frequently demand that their employees prioritize work, limiting their capacity to attain work-life balance and possibly leading to burnout. Any boss who makes their staff choose between their job and their health is poisoning the workplace.

  • No growth:

If your workplace doesn’t appear to provide any mobility, learning chances to advance your skills or career, or mentorship, likely, they aren’t interested in your development. Your workplace should give opportunities for you to grow career-wise if you’ve approached management or HR multiple times about a lack of recognition and growth possibilities (such as promotions, raises, and demanding assignments) and received no response.

  • Lack of proper communication:

Good communication is essential for any organization to thrive, and Bad communication often leads to confusion and a lack of purpose for employees. When these fundamental components are missing, a team functions as a collection of disparate parts rather than a unified whole.

We spend most of our best years and waking hours at work, you must make sure it is an environment where you feel empowered. Workplace toxicity is more prevalent than ever. Whether overt or covert, it strains the employees physically and emotionally and costs companies money in lost wages and sick days. A toxic workplace is not something you should accept. Your emotional, psychological, or meaningful relationships are not worth it.