5 signs of a Toxic Work Environment: understanding and dealing with it

3 of January, 2023

Does your company have a toxic work environment for its employees? If the answer is not a firm “no”, it might be a bad sign. That’s why we are going to explain some signs to identify and take actions.

There are many ways to track how employees feel at work. The implementation of climate surveys is very useful for that, for example. Keep reading to discover ways to prevent toxicity happening in your organization. 

What is a Toxic Work Environment?

A toxic work environment is one where bullying, conflict, and other unpleasant behaviors are ingrained in the toxic work culture.

Employees that work in toxic environments are almost always under stress. Internal communication is restricted, there is a strong blame culture, and bad attitudes and behavior are frequently rewarded (subtly or overtly).

At the same time, in a toxic work environment, managers frequently display partiality, rewarding some employees (typically the more ruthless, Machiavellian types) for going above and beyond to achieve outcomes, regardless of the human costs of their decisions.

How common are Toxic Work Environments?

According to recent research, 70% of British workers claimed to have worked in toxic environments at some point in their careers. Additionally, Metro stated in August 2021 that unhealthy work environments are why almost one-third of employees quit.

Seeing that, we can say that it is, unfortunately, a common scenario to end up working in a toxic atmosphere. That’s why it comes to the managers to make sure that the work culture is healthy and the employees are comfortable, open-minded and welcoming. 

How does a Toxic Work Environment come about?

Often, toxicity starts when the psychological contract of a firm is broken. It might begin immediately if a new hire shows up with optimism and drive. Only to learn that the job description or the company culture they were told was a sham.

Alternatively, it might develop gradually as consumer trust in the business declines.

Sources of toxicity

Despite their best efforts, toxic work environments can occasionally develop due to employees’ growing unhappiness, which fosters a rotting well of dissatisfaction. When this occurs, it frequently indicates that workers formerly shared the company’s goal but later drifted apart.

A toxic work environment may also result if a high-ranking employee who ignores how other people feel reaches the top. They put outcomes above everything else because they are unaware of the motivation theory’s importance and how it affects people.

Both interpersonal and workplace connections start to suffer. Unhealthy resource rivalry can also result in the growth of a toxic work environment.

A manager’s time or attention may be in competition with employees for resources like money or time, overworked team members who are crucial to efforts, or even other employees’ time or attention. Psychological safety consequently starts to deteriorate.

Signs of a toxic work environment

A toxic work environment can appear in different shapes and forms, but there are some signs that almost always come with it. Let’s talk about 5 of them.

Chronic Stress

Do you push yourself to go to work every morning despite feeling exhausted? In the US, 42% of workers have quit their jobs as a result of an unduly toxic work environment, according to a report by Monster.

Chronic stress in the workplace is indicated by a workforce that is always stressed out, frequently interfering with their time with friends and family.

Overwork

According to a Families and Work Institute Poll, 43% of employees report feeling overworked severely or frequently expressing anger at their employers.

Employees are frequently overworked when forced to endure a toxic work environment. Resentment and severe burnout can result from being overworked.

Bullying

Bullying at work is a serious problem that many workers deal with, but it is more frequently left ignored. Bullies are often either boss (61%) or peers (33%), with the remainder being other people.

Your company is probably home to a toxic work culture if sending your staff to work makes them feel burdened, intimidated, and afraid.

Hotheaded boss

A contented staff depends on a good leader. On National Boss’s Day, excellent managers are celebrated, while poor managers are blamed for excessive employee turnover.

Workplaces with toxic bosses may become unbearable and toxic. A toxic boss consistently undermines your confidence, self-worth, and knowledge of your capabilities. Such managers have a fundamental misunderstanding of leadership, creating a toxic work environment.

Office gossips

You either become a target or a participant in office gossip. Negative workplace conversations harm relationships between coworkers and team dynamics, which leads to malevolent conduct.

Engaging in office gossip will only worsen things no matter whose side you’re on.

How to fix or improve a toxic work environment?

Once you are aware of the symptoms of a toxic work culture, you need to take action to fix the issues. Here, we have listed a few strategies for handling toxic coworkers and lowering high turnover rates:

Acknowledging the problem

Once you identify the toxic work environment issue, you must discuss it openly and honestly with your team. As a manager or leader, talk with your team about correcting any issues and stopping badmouthing one another.

You must reassure your staff that you will make efforts to improve the unfavorable workplace conditions.

Specific expectations

It must be clear to all employees that your business will not accept any form of prejudice, slander, or social exclusion. Your team must appreciate and diligently follow these adjustments if there is to be an expectation of change.

It is crucial to identify the detrimental factors affecting the workplace culture and to take steps to solve these toxic work environment issues.

Rewards and recognition

When workers believe their contributions are being undervalued by management and leaders, they become toxic. Employers may improve staff productivity, happiness, and loyalty by implementing a fair incentive and recognition program, which can reduce toxic work environments.

Do not overwork or underappreciate your staff; make them feel valued.

Work-Life Balance

The elimination of a toxic work environment or toxic work culture can be aided by emphasizing work-life balance. Stress and depression have an impact on the physical and psychological well-being of your staff.

To motivate your workers to maintain a work-life balance, you must create flexible work schedules, shorter workdays, paid vacations, etc. Consequently, a more favorable workplace will be produced, as will their interactions within and outside the office.

Diversity and Inclusion

Promote collaboration at work rather than politics and favoritism. A strong policy on diversity and inclusion fosters happiness, teamwork, and trust among employees.

Employees are not permitted to put up with bullying or discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender, or race. Such negative work habits make workers less satisfied with their jobs and more likely to leave them, leading to a toxic work environment.

A productive workplace will result from mutual respect that is free of bias.

Software solution to address toxic work environment

There are a lot of solutions that can help you to deal with a toxic work culture at your company. Having HR software can help you give insights before the toxicity spreads within the team.

Sesame HR provides software that can detect environments using digital tools. You can start pulse surveys with our software and get a comprehensive sense of how your staff is feeling.

Improving your internal communication will also boost morale and encourage healthier behavior at the company. You can combine tools provided by Sesame’s software and get precious data that will help you to create the best work environment possible. Try it for free now!