The office or work tends to be a home away from home as we often spend at least two-thirds of our waking hours either engaged directly or indirectly with work. As a result, a considerable portion of our self-worth is connected to our work and profession, to the point where it becomes one of the main ways we see ourselves and present ourselves to the world.

It can thus be quite devastating when somehow, the workplace has become toxic. Often, you may not even realise what exactly has happened, but you may sense that although you still are excited about ‘the work’, you are less than enthusiastic about the organisation or the people you are working with. It may thus be opportune to consider whether your work environment has become toxic and if that is the case, how you deal with it.

To be clear, there is no single, clear definition of a toxic work environment. Instead, there are characteristics that can point to the existence of a toxic workplace, and the traits highlighted below can help you or someone else determine whether they are indeed in a toxic environment.

 

1.  Work-life balance is not encouraged

Work is only supposed to be one aspect of our lives, and there should be adequate time to nurture the other important areas of our lives, such as time with family, for relationships and friends, and for other activities and interests. However, organisations can sometimes imply, or even make explicit, that essentially, all of your time should be given to your job, and to do otherwise suggests that you are lazy or are not performing to the standard expected.

It may be evident by how frequently tasks are assigned late in the day with the e expectation that they will be completed either that day or early the next day, and so require you to work outside the standard working hours. Or as another example, even when you are on leave, or on weekends or on personal time, you are expected to be as available as if you were at the office, and so respond to emails and other communication promptly.

 

2.  There is poor communication

The ways in which poor communication may exist are varied, but in the first instance, it may include the dynamic between persons in leadership positions and their juniors, and even interpersonal relationships in general, and whether there is clear follow through and alignment in how official communication is given effect.

Clear communication is essential in an organisation. Employees should not be receiving differing messages about the same issue. There should be clarity and consistency in the information communicated, and the actions following that communication.

Regarding relationship and personnel dynamics in the workplace, there can be passive-aggressive behaviour, gaslighting, as well as the existence of cliques, a lot of gossip, and a lack of trust and signs of disrespect between colleagues. Although these types of behaviour may exist in many organisations, ideally, they should not be rife. Moreover, the organisational culture should discourage those behaviours, and there should be effective options for redress such as through the human resource department.

 

3.  There is low morale and high turnover

It should always be worrying when staff turnover is high in an organisation, especially when it is coupled with low morale. Morale tends to be low when employees do not feel motivated and can be observed in several ways, including their lack of enthusiasm for their work, the lack of effort they make in executing tasks, and being consistently late for work without reasonable excuses.

In most organisations, staff turnover is expected, but in a toxic work environment, the rate at which people are leaving the organisation would seem unnaturally high. The cause of separation may not necessarily just be employees resigning, but would also include those who are fired or laid off, and so should be carefully examined..

 

4.  Limited emphasis on employee development and growth

To be fair, there no organisation can be all things to all people. In a start-up, for example, there might not be a lot of money allocated for training and professional development, and neither might there be scope for upward mobility in the company. It becomes essential that such situations are properly addressed and expectations managed.

Having said this, there ought to be an effort to nurture employees, particularly entry-level staff, who at the very least, could benefit from mentoring and opportunities for exposure to different areas of the organisation. The challenge tends to occur when people feel pigeonholed, and it is not being acknowledged, or are being routinely overlooked for new roles but are not being given a proper explanation or support.

 

5.  Stress and burnout are high

Finally, consider the impact of the workplace on your physical and mental health in particular. Are you continually feeling anxious about going to work, or interacting with certain colleagues? Are you experiencing frequent headaches, muscle pain, fatigue, digestive issues, problems sleeping, panic attacks, or even depression? Your work environment could be at the source.

Burnout can be considered a more extreme manifestation of health-related workplace challenges. Burnout can occur in a number of ways and includes when employees have been working consistently hard for prolonged periods without adequate time to fully rejuvenate and recover. It can also occur when employees are disillusioned and experience low job satisfaction, especially when they feel under-challenged and bored, or are disappointed with the outcome of their work, having made an enthusiastic effort.

 

In summary, a toxic work environment is not always easy to identify and may be determined when more than one of the above characteristics (though there may be others) can be observed. However, having deduced that you may be in a toxic environment, it would be important to decide how best to manage or navigate in it, and it may ultimately lead to some tough decisions, which we will discuss in a future article.

 

 

Image:  Yan Krukov (Pexels)