Whether it’s a hot tempered boss, an unreasonable workload, or malicious coworkers, a toxic work environment can take a significant toll on your mental health, leading to high levels of stress, insomnia, and depression.
It’s important to recognize the signs of a toxic work environment and know when it’s time to leave.
A toxic working environment is one where you feel psychologically unsafe. There’s often a general feeling of negativity, unhealthy competition, and aggression.
Authors of a recent study define a toxic workplace environment by the following:
Dealing with a toxic work environment can be an emotionally draining and stressful experience. When faced with workplace toxicity, it’s normal to feel frustrated, unhappy, and even trapped. However, there are proactive strategies and mindset shifts that can help you preserve your sanity and dignity. This comprehensive guide outlines actionable tips for coping with and rising above workplace toxicity.
Signs You’re in a Toxic Work Environment
How do you know if your workplace has become toxic? Watch for these common signs
- Constant negativity, gossip, and complaints
- Lack of clear expectations or accountability
- Poor communication and lack of trust
- Disrespectful treatment and personal attacks
- Unreasonable workloads and demands
- Feeling excluded or ostracized
- Management playing favorites
- Bullying, hostility, and incivility
- High turnover and absenteeism
If your workplace culture exhibits some of these dysfunctional behaviors, you likely have a toxic environment on your hands.
How Workplace Toxicity Harms You
Prolonged exposure to a toxic culture can inflict lasting damage, including:
- Physical symptoms like headaches, stomach issues, insomnia, and weakened immunity
- Anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion
- Lack of engagement, motivation, and diminished performance
- Isolation and strained relationships with colleagues
- Persistent negativity and pessimism
- Erosion of self-esteem and confidence
Clearly, allowing toxicity to fester hurts you both personally and professionally So what can you do to take back your power?
8 Ways to Deal With a Toxic Work Environment
When faced with negativity, drama, and disrespect, use these strategies to maintain perspective and stay empowered.
1. Find a Support Group
Don’t isolate yourself. Seek out co-workers you trust who can empathize with your situation. Venting with those who understand can relieve stress. You may also gain insight into how your allies cope.
2. Find a Way to Unwind
Make time for activities outside work that help you decompress and de-stress. Exercise, read, pursue hobbies, and connect with positive friends and family. Don’t let toxicity infect the rest of your life.
3. Stay Positive
Adopt a solutions-focused mindset. Instead of fixating on what’s wrong, direct energy towards personal growth and goals. Maintain optimism that the situation can improve.
4. Meditate
Quiet your mind through meditation or deep breathing. This can help detach you from drama and negativity. Meditation also boosts resilience to stress.
5. Tune Everything Out
Limit what you absorb during the workday. Avoid excessive gossip and discord by putting on headphones or tuning out conversations. Refrain from constantly checking emails.
6. Leave Work Issues at Work
Don’t dwell on problems after hours or let work toxicity spill into your personal life. Make a conscious effort to “shut it off” when your shift ends.
7. Avoid Office Gossip
Refuse to participate in gossip, complaints, or trash talk. Don’t feed negativity. Model the respectful behavior you want to see.
8. Look for the Humor
Laughter relieves tension. When appropriate, inject humor and lightheartedness to uplift colleagues. A little fun can go a long way.
While you may not singlehandedly transform a toxic culture, consistently modeling positivity and professionalism can slowly sway the environment. Your colleagues will take cues from your behavior.
4 Healthy Coping Mechanisms for Toxic Workplaces
When office toxicity starts dragging you down, try these healthy coping strategies:
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Vent constructively: Speak with trusted allies who won’t judge. Avoid fixating on problems.
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Practice self-care: Make time for nourishing activities like exercise, good nutrition, relaxing bubble baths, or nature walks.
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Set boundaries: Don’t accept abuse. Say “no” if demands become unreasonable.
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Focus on what you can control: Direct energy towards your own actions and growth. Don’t obsess over what you can’t control.
Aim to let go of toxicity instead of internalizing it. Limit its impacts with self-care and conscious communication. Your well-being must come first.
When to Involve Management About Toxicity
If toxic dynamics persist despite your best efforts, consider involving leadership or HR, especially if you experience:
- Bullying, discrimination, or harassment
- Abuse of power by managers
- Unethical or illegal activity
- Safety issues or violence
- Intolerable levels of stress
Provide factual accounts of behaviors you’ve observed and how they impact your work. Stick to details rather than making character judgments. The goal should be resolving conflicts, not attacking people.
When to Start Looking for a New Job
If management refuses to address legitimate concerns or the environment continues deteriorating, don’t hesitate to look for new opportunities. No job is worth enduring abuse or exhaustive misery.
Warning signs it’s time to move on include:
- Persistent stress, dread, and unhappiness
- Deterioration of your mental or physical health
- Plummeting productivity and performance
- Feeling “stuck” with no hope for change
- Loss of passion, motivation, and engagement
Life is too short to remain in toxic workplaces, especially when repeated efforts lead nowhere. Prioritize self-care and your long-term career fulfillment.
Maintaining a Positive Mindset in Toxic Workplaces
While looking for a way out, maintain positivity with these tips:
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Reframe challenges as learning experiences that will make you more resilient.
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Focus on the positive aspects of your job and don’t overgeneralize. Toxicity doesn’t necessarily define your entire work experience.
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Avoid comparing yourself to colleagues who seem to thrive in the dysfunction. Everyone has different coping abilities.
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Remind yourself this is temporary. The situation can and will change for the better.
Key Takeaways
Dealing with workplace toxicity comes down to maintaining perspective, controlling your reactions, practicing abundant self-care, and focusing on solutions. Don’t internalize other people’s dysfunctions. Prioritize your mental health and don’t be afraid to walk away from damaging environments. With resilience and proactive coping strategies, you can rise above the negativity.
How a toxic work environment can affect mental health
Most of us spend a good portion of our day at work. If 8 hours of your day are filled with toxicity, it can significantly affect your mental health.
Research shows that a toxic workplace — including harassment, bullying, and ostracism — is a significant source of psychological strain for employees and can lead to high levels of stress and burnout.
This toxicity can also promote counterproductive behavior at work and ruin the efficiency of the organization. It causes disengagement among employees, decreases productivity, stifles creativity and innovation, and results in high turnover.
According to a recent report from MIT Sloan Management Review, a toxic workplace culture is over 10 times more likely to contribute to an employee quitting their job than low pay.
In fact, the report shows that a toxic work environment was the number one reason people left their jobs during the post-COVID-19 “Great Resignation” — not because of compensation (as most people believed).
- Remember it’s not your fault: The negativity at your job isn’t your fault. Although having a positive attitude and collaborative mindset may help in certain situations, remember that there’s only so much you can do to improve the culture at your work.
- Take your lunch break elsewhere: Be sure to take a lunch break where you can get out of the work environment. Sit in nature if possible.
- Set boundaries: Don’t get bullied into skipping your lunch break or working after hours for no pay. Explain to your boss that you need your breaks and time off to recharge and do your job well.
- Don’t get involved in the drama: Try to walk away from any drama or gossip. Nothing positive will come from it.
- Stay focused on your goals: Do your best to stay in a positive state of mind. You won’t be here forever, and you have bigger and better things ahead of you.
- Have an after-work ritual to raise your vibes: Do something after work to psychologically clear away the negativity. You can take a walk in nature, take a hot shower, or call a friend.
- Stick with a few trustworthy coworkers: It’s a good idea to keep a few work allies, so you can support and confide in one another.
- Don’t compromise your values: If someone at work is being cruel to you, do your best to not respond in kind. It will only make the situation escalate.
- Engage in regular stress-coping techniques: Take up meditation, yoga, or engage in daily exercise to help you handle chronic stress.
- Plan your exit: If the toxic work situation isn’t going to improve anytime soon, start your search for a new position.
