Toxic Work Environment: Are you feeling like you are working in a toxic environment? No matter your profession, it’s important to surround yourself with uplifting individuals and a healthy environment that promotes your professional growth. Even if you find yourself in a toxic work environment, there are several things you can do to make the most of the situation. This article will help you identify the signs you are working in a toxic environment.
Signs you’re in a Toxic Work Environment
Fatigue and illness
Toxic workplaces often make you feel burned out, tired and ill due to the level of stress you’re enduring. If you find yourself calling in sick often or if you’re constantly feeling drained and exhausted, it may indicate that your work environment is affecting your health.
Cliques, exclusion, and gossip
If you notice a tight group of people at work that alienates others in the workplace, it may indicate a toxic workplace. While it’s normal to have work friends and acquaintances, any behavior that shows these groups acting like a clique and spreading negativity or gossip breeds toxicity.
Turnover
The most obvious symptom of a toxic work environment is turnover. It’s conventional wisdom that “people don’t leave their job, they leave their boss,” and toxic bosses create toxic environments that drive people away. Of course, it’s better to catch problems before they get to that level, so keep communication open and make sure your team knows they can talk to you first.
Gossip
Employees will often complain to their peers rather than solve the issue through proper channels. Many people have come to believe that this kind of office gossip is inevitable in a work environment, but it isn’t. Gossip is what happens when team members are not talking with each other directly about issues or elevating concerns and having them addressed. When people don’t feel seen and heard, their dissatisfaction leaks out in complaints to their colleagues.