Toxic Workplaces flipping your life upside down? You’re not alone!

 

       

“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 that story feel almost too 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 your physical and mental health. If that sounds familiar you might be the victim of a toxic workplace. You are not alone a toxic workplace is something around 15% of Americans face daily. Toxic work environments will lower overall productivity and wellbeing in a company. But what can it truly affect?

                                   Toxic workplaces leave employees sick, scared, and looking for an exit. How to combat unhealthy conditions

A toxic workplace can be described as a workplace where negative behaviors, unethical practices, and conflicts 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. The toxicity of a workplace can often spread past an individual’s behavior and into the organization of a company, causing week leadership and poor management practices.

Working in a toxic workplace can almost feel like you’re on the next episode of a hit reality tv show. With gossip flying around like its confetti, it’s almost impossible to show up to work and not have to worry about the newest gossip or who the main character in next week’s episode is going to be. Your bosses might even make you feel incapable and unknowledgeable, making those long hours of work feel worthless. And maybe the best of all is your career feels like it’s 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. Almost making you feel stunted and stuck on the same career ladder you’ve been fighting to climb for the past few years.

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With a typical working day tending 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. Most Americans spend the majority of their days at work. Whether that be in the office, virtual, or a hybrid mix your job consumes most of your time for the day. With work taking up a big part of most Americans days, the toll of a toxic workplace puts a strain on the employee’s heath both physically and mentally.

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. They might also be under higher levels of stress because of the work environment and not engage or participate as much as they used to at work, causing them to fall behind and stress even more about filling quotas. Poor engagement can cause poor performance lowering 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, making this a domino effect.

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Beyond the mental strains and effects from a toxic workplace, a toxic workplace can cause a strain on an employee’s physical health too. Life is stressful enough and when we add more stress than our bodies can tolerate, we often face the physical side effects such as headaches, muscle aches, and fatigue. This makes the days feel longer and a work week feel more like running a marathon instead of 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 dread going to or 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. This should not be taken lightly. You are not alone in your struggles with dealing with a toxic workplace.