Toxic work environment causing negative emotional overloading is amongst the most common causes of depression these days.
However, it’s not always crystal clear whether your workplace is a source of toxicity. Sometimes, you might feel like what you’re experiencing isn’t really that bad, and some people might be feeling way worse than you. So you choose to stay, despite your emotional troubles at work. You choose to ignore the bad vibes that are distressing your mind. Moreover, you might even believe that as long as you get paid, you don’t have the right to complain.
But the harsh truth is, a toxic workplace can be extremely dangerous for your mental health. If you chose to stay quiet and suffer in silence, it might have an unfavorable impact on your performance as a professional. In fact, a hostile work environment can make the best employees quit because they highly value their wellbeing.
Here are six telling signs of toxicity in your workplace you need to look out for.
1. Your colleagues are constantly gossiping.
Some people are all about talking behind one another’s backs, spreading rumors, and using personal information to crush someone’s spirit. This is a huge red flag for critical levels of toxicity. If there is gossiping involved, you can’t be considering your workplace as a healthy environment.
2. The one that always acts like they have already paid their dues.
In a lot of teams, there are people who believe they don’t need to work as hard as their teammates. This type of carelessness is absolutely a sign of unhealthy workspace, especially if you’re more sensitive to human negligence. What’s more, this is undoubtedly one of the reasons many great employees choose to leave because such behavior being tolerated makes them question their company’s decency.
3. Allowing disrespecting behavior amongst co-workers.
Abusive behavior may come from only one person, or from a group of people. However, it should never be tolerated, even if it comes from the person that’s in the highest position in the organization’s hierarchy. The main difference between an instigative workspace and a contentious one is whether such toxic behavior is allowed.
4. The one who says ‘That’s not my job.’
In a developed company, where social skills such as empathy are highly promoted, employees work together as a cohesive community. Every good person, both professionally and soulfully, should be willing to help their co-workers if needed. If someone refuses to support their team, this simple act of carelessness can damage the whole performance of the company.
5. Your colleagues are constantly pressuring you.
Instead of being supportive and helping each other out, some co-workers focus their energy on criticizing one another. It’s mostly seen when one of the employees is working longer hours, and the others feel threatened they might look unprofessional in their boss’ eyes. So, rather than being inspired by the one who puts more effort into their job, these people start pressuring them, and even hating on them. Such passive-aggressive hatred is definitely a sign of a toxic workplace.
6. The one who takes all the credit.
Some people just love to grab all the glory for themselves. What they can’t realize is that in the professional world, nothing is ever accomplished by a single person. These people are far from team players, and they refuse to acknowledge their co-workers’ achievements. Instead, they take the credit for them, if possible. And if something unexpected happens, it’s never their fault. They would always find an excuse to exit the situation and blame it on the others. Such colleagues can make the workspace almost unbearable.
Did you find any of these signs relatable to your work environment?
If your answer is yes, consider if there is something you could do to change this unpleasant situation. And if you can’t think of anything, then you might need to reevaluate whether your monthly salary is worth more than your wellbeing.
