How to recognize a toxic work environment

The impacts of a toxic work environment

Have you ever found yourself sitting in the parking lot dreading going to work? Does thinking about work make you physically ill? Did you ever consider quitting a job you once enjoyed? You may have experienced a toxic work environment.

The problem is prevalent, and more people deal with it than you think. Most of us spend about half of our waking hours at work, so there’s plenty of time for workplace dysfunction to emerge.

Striking a balance between those who work and those who pay for that work can be challenging. Those who offer money for someone else’s labor may see themselves as benefactors, doing laborers a favor by giving them money.

Coworkers throughout the office can also be a problem, as some have cutthroat mentalities when making themselves indispensable. Some employees may feel the need to overwork to meet production standards, leading to burnout, poor physical health, and depression.

What should employers do?

First, toxic work environments have plagued the workforce for ages. Some lawyers practice only employment law for this reason. Labor unions constantly introduce bills to Congress in hopes of enacting positive change.

Laws like the EEOC were passed precisely to improve the lives of underrepresented workers, and they often change in favor of workers.

There are plenty of great jobs where respect, courtesy, work-life balance, and fairness are given to employees. On the other hand, toxic work cultures often occur in young companies where fair employment practices aren’t yet established (though not exclusively).

They may say, “We just do things this way,” even when doing so creates a hostile work environment in which workers feel targeted and attacked.

The more studies show about various toxic behaviors—nepotism, gossip, overworking, discrimination, harassment—the clearer it becomes how those behaviors hurt the company’s bottom line. Consequences include high employee turnover, a lack of communication, and a level of stress that affects everyone’s productivity.

So if you’ve ever heard that “life’s not fair” when complaining about your toxic workplace environment, you can proudly answer that such unfairness actually results in worse revenues.

How bad cultures hurt productivity

We humans are simple creatures. All we want is to do a good job and make others happy. Unfortunately, some toxic people take advantage of this desire by pushing us to our wit’s end and demanding endlessly more. They often have expectations that are completely unrealistic, urging employees to “tough it out” or “work harder” without considering how they cannot meet their goals.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t normal.

Numerous studies show how toxic workplaces negatively affect productivity, leading to disunity, depression, stress, and burnout, all of which spread like wildfire until people start leaving in droves.

They would rather work elsewhere than spend another day feeling unsafe. And this is the problem: contrary to “tough love” ideologies that encourage rigid compliance, pushing employees into an unhealthy mental state doesn’t actually get results.

Positive alternatives: Motivating without the toxicity

Many ways exist to challenge people without harming their self-worth and self-esteem. Creating a healthy workplace may require a little imagination to incentivize people to do better, but it almost always gets far better results.

Few people want to spend 8 hours a day (minimum) away from home and family. They don’t want to spend their energy on someone else’s project. Of course, they earn money in exchange for their time.

However, they may leave if work is just a means to an end. Specifically, if they feel like an easily replaceable cog in a machine, they’ll probably seek work elsewhere.

Creating a healthy, positive work environment requires effort from executives, management, human resources, coworkers, and administrators. Failing to do so may drive your best workers off to find greener pastures.

What are the signs of a toxic work environment?

Most US-based workers hear that they have things pretty good. The standard workweek is only 40 hours across 5 days, plus they usually receive some paid time off and, if they’re lucky, a benefits package. Isn’t this enough to make them feel valued? Not quite.

While fair compensation is essential, one cannot overstate the importance of a healthy work environment. After all, this is where employees spend their time. A healthy work environment makes employees feel good about their work, both in real-world value and in the eyes of their superiors.

Studies show that employees who feel recognized do better work, which means that eliminating stressors and promoting self-care is good for the bottom line.

Toxic work environments, meanwhile, overlook the value of employee well-being, substituting pizza parties for raises or tone-deaf executive memos for natural interaction.

Team members often feel that their best isn’t good enough. As a result, they sometimes project this mentality onto others, creating a chain reaction of negative attitudes.

When employees feel good about their jobs, companies see lower turnover and less absenteeism. When they don’t, the workplace can be depressing, leading to nasty behaviors.

So what does workplace toxicity look like? Ugly.

Overworked employees

The most common toxic work trait is the company culture, where managers and executives demand that employees give 110 percent at all times. It’s one thing to hear this from a childhood soccer coach, but for day-in, day-out performance, 110 percent isn’t realistic.

We each have good and bad days, and employers must respect those limits.

In a full-time job, we constantly finish one task only to receive another from the queue. There’s no end in sight—it’s not worth rushing what cannot end.

Just because a sales team aggressively sells a product doesn’t mean workers are suddenly granted superhuman abilities.

They need time to do the job, which means that no company goal is realistic until it realistically accounts for the time it takes to achieve it.

If your delivery team constantly struggles to meet goals or is criticized for failing to meet them, you suffer from poor leadership, not a lack of ambition.

This problem can be terrible for salaried employees whose offer letters specify that “some overtime will be required.”

Far too many employees stay at work til midnight every other week deploying software updates. Management told them these updates wouldn’t happen often.

It’s not what they signed up for, and eventually, those extra requirements will bite you in the rear.

If each employee’s personal life is taking a backseat because they are constantly overworked, it may be a good idea to ask why this is happening. Is this what they signed up for?

It’s unusually hard to make friends at work

Work is weird. We spend all this time talking to coworkers, only to clock out and forget about them once we get home. However, workplace relationships are important.

To do your best work, you sometimes need help from others, which means making friendships here and there. Toxic employees, however, refuse to be your friend on principle.

It’s hard to know what’s happening here, but suffice it to say some people are bullies. Their insecurities drive them to treat coworkers poorly, making it extremely difficult for anyone to work, especially those whose jobs require collaboration.

You’d think anyone who gets their kicks by excluding others wouldn’t make it far in a company. However, those people sometimes occupy positions of power in toxic workplaces.

A toxic boss can cause massive headaches for employees. When employees ask for improved conditions, they help themselves and the company.

Professionalism is all about eliminating barriers to productivity. When cliques form that exclude outsiders, feelings get hurt. Once that happens, refocusing on work can be difficult.

Nepotism & favoritism

It’s not uncommon for companies to have an inner circle. In this inner circle, the people who get there first have the best opportunities.

For example, an employee may have worked hard for years. However, a VP’s wife may return from maternity leave and suddenly earn a senior position. Nobody likes this, and it’s extremely challenging to overcome.

There’s nothing illegal about hiring people you already know. Still, it can make everyone else feel taken for granted when they don’t have the skills or experience to do the job well—certainly not better than someone who put in time to gain knowledge and value. It’s frustrating.

Most of us understand that job offers and promotions should be based on merit, not family relations. This is true in healthy work environments, but fear of speaking out against unfairness can lead to further problems in toxic work environments.

Sometimes, favoritism has worse consequences. For example, it happens when relatives of higher-ups face accusations of illegal behavior. In these cases, companies have been known to shield loved ones from criminal penalties, often bordering on illegal maneuvers to protect them.

This is not okay. Just because an executive wants to give their family member a job at the company doesn’t mean everyone else should have to suffer the consequences.

Everybody’s talking about you

Office gossip is one of the most painful traits of a toxic workplace. We’re all trying our best out there, and to hear your coworkers talking about you behind your back can be a devastating revelation for even the most self-assured person.

Talking about coworkers is unavoidable. Gossip, however, is different. Unlike regular workplace chatter, gossip is hurtful speech.

This speech targets someone’s perceived weaknesses or incompetence. Most of the time, it gets back to that person.

If you find yourself in a gossip crossfire, the best thing you can do is refuse to participate or change the subject.

Being the subject of gossip can put your psychological safety at risk. It hurts your feelings, and gossip can also impair your ability to focus on work and get things done.

You might keep hearing the same rumors from multiple people. If so, speaking with a superior may be worth your time. You can let them know that these conversations are getting out of hand. Confronting these issues is challenging, but suffering in silence is worse.

The red flags of a toxic workplace

Look, it isn’t easy to find work these days. It’s hard to pass up an opportunity to earn money, even when you don’t feel great about how the job posting is advertised.

Here are a few red flags that show up in listing for a new job:

• “Work hard, play hard” language that urges employees to go the extra mile at all times
  
  
• Salary ranges with high upper limits but undefined lower limits
  
  
• Trial periods requiring new employees to work for free or for low wages
  
  
• Old job listings that have been reposted numerous times
  
  
• Use of the word “extreme[ly]” at any point

Remember: despite how employers may try to make them feel, employees aren’t the only ones receiving something in this transaction. Executives don’t want to work all the time.

The only way to achieve that is to hire laborers to do the work for them. Remember that their time is valuable if they frame this as an unbelievable opportunity.

It’s worth mentioning that in this age of tight job markets, some startups hope to capitalize on unpaid internship-type employment positions. No matter how well employers frame it, unpaid internships cannot pay rent or buy groceries.

If you can’t afford to pay your employees, you can’t afford to be in business.

Preserve mental health at all costs

Employees matter. Although you may seek to hire them at the lowest rate possible, they have the skills you need to earn revenue. Furthermore, they deserve to be paid.

Don’t expect to hire them at a subpar salary if you want excellent performance. While your interest is to keep costs down, their interests are to improve their lives. Focus on the win-win deal.

The better your employees feel at work, the better work they’ll produce. You can promote higher productivity simply by respecting their individuality and giving them what they need to be independent. Stay focused on their well-being; they’ll return it to your company.

Additional resources:
Toxic leadership: The silent killer of employee retention
How to deal with a difficult boss
Workplace etiquette: The ultimate guide to professionalism

Want more insights like these?
Visit Dallin Nelson’s author page to explore her other articles and expertise in business management.