Toxic workplace and Its effects on Americans
Imagine
this, you’re 17 and a camp counselor at your childhood camp and your new camp
director decides to flip your camp upside-down.
“Lucky
had decided to plan our missing child drill peak power outage. Our water
bottles were empty, walkies dead, and the first-year international staff posing
as a lost camper was nowhere to be found. This made what we thought was
training into the real deal. We were able to find her. After coming back
together as a group we were told it was in fact a drill all along (which we
knew was a lie from how quickly everything turned serious) invalidating how we
felt and the fear we had that this staff member was in fact gone forever. That
was the first red flag. There were many instances where our concerns were
overlooked or traditions at camp were controlled by her. The smallest things
were controlled from what color shirt we wore, the music we played, and tie-dye.
The campers would question who she was because of the lack of involvement
during camp life. She was a ghost that haunted camp.”
Does
the toxicity of Lucky sound familiar? A new or old boss that comes in and seems
to control everything you say, wear, or do. A boss that puts you and possibly
your customers (in the case above children ranging from the ages of 7-16) in
danger. Or boss whose leadership puts a toll on both your physical and mental
health. If that sounds familiar you might be the victim of a toxic workplace.
You are not alone in your struggles. Around 15% of Americans face a toxic
workplace daily. Toxic work environments will lower overall productivity and
wellbeing in a company from the bottom up, destroying a company. But what can
it truly affect?
A
toxic workplace can be described as
a workplace where negative behaviors, unethical practices, and conflicts will
harm an employee’s well-being and productivity putting a damper on their
day-to-day life. This can come across in many ways such as bullying,
manipulation, and unethical behavior. These actions can be small or very
noticeable. They might start with small remarks making you question how secure
your job is and grow into bigger issues. The toxicity of a workplace can often
spread past an individual’s behavior and into the organization of a company,
causing weak leadership and poor management practices. A toxic workplace is not
just frustrating it’s a dangerous place that puts a damper on a workers’ mental
and physical health.
Working in a toxic workplace can feel like you’re walking a tightrope. With gossip and lies flying around like obstacles, it’s almost impossible to show up to work and not have to worry about if you are going to fall. Your bosses might make you feel incapable and unknowledgeable, making those long hours of work feel worthless. Worst yet, your career begins to feel stunted. You are met with vague answers when it comes to asking about a raise or a promotion. No matter the way you ask or how many follow ups you give you are given the same vague answers and you feel as if your input is being brushed away. Making you feel stunted and stuck on the same career ladder you’ve been fighting to climb for the past few years.
A typical working day tends to span around 8 hours long. We all look forward to
that 5pm clock out time and dread the early mornings spent clocking in instead
of grabbing coffee and reading the paper. Most Americans will spend the
majority of their days at the office. With work taking up a large portion of
most Americans’ days, the toll of a toxic workplace places a serious strain on
an employee’s physical and mental health.
Some might
argue that strict leadership is important to maintain an efficient workplace.
Clear authority is important to maintain an effective workplace. However, when
leadership crosses into excessive control that puts a damper on an employee’s
life both in and out of the office it becomes harmful.
Studies show that employees who work in a toxic workplace often face more mental health struggles such as depression and anxiety. This can lead to poor performance, more PTO (Personal Time Off), and sick days being used to help better an employee’s mental health. You might be under higher levels of stress because of the work environment and not engage in or participate as much as you used to at work. This can cause you to fall behind and stress even more about filling quotas. Poor engagement in the office will also cause poor performance to lower the overall value of a company. Overall, the mental effects of one employee’s experience working at a toxic workplace can affect the whole company. In most cases, more than one employee is feeling the toll of a toxic workplace.
Beyond the mental strains from a toxic workplace, a toxic workplace can cause a strain on an employee’s physical health too. Life is stressful enough, between juggling your life and a family, your doctor is probably telling you to lower your stress levels. When we add more stress than our bodies can tolerate, we often face physical side effects such as headaches, muscle aches, and fatigue. This makes the days feel longer and a work week feels more like a sitcom that never ends opposed to a casual day in the office. Chronic stress caused by toxic workplaces can also lead to developing more serious diseases such as cancer and heart disease. This should not be taken lightly; work should be a place you enjoy, not a place that makes you physically ill.
Working in a toxic workplace is
hard, the weight of an average day feels much more intense. A toxic work
environment will lower the productivity and well-being of a company tearing apart
a company and your own relationships. This should not be taken lightly. You are
not alone in your struggles with dealing with a toxic workplace.
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