Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — Amid labor union efforts at Amazon and Starbucks, record numbers of people quitting and constant delays in returning to offices, employees seem to act when it comes to less-than-ideal working conditions.
Research has shown that bosses and employees alike should care regarding the quality of the work environment.
A 2020 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health determined that a toxic workplace “can be harmful and lead to unnecessary stress, burnout, depression, and anxiety among workers”.
Furthermore, the study found that the negative impact on employee well-being will be passed on to other workers and reduce the quality of the work they do.
The study found that the opposite is also true, i.e. employee well-being increases work performance, and a workplace that actively supports employees “brings sustainability to organizational performance”.
Essentially, a toxic workplace is harmful to everyone involved.
On the employee side, the increased stress and depression in a poor work life can put pressure on personal relationships, according to Alisha Powell, a therapist whose areas of private practice include work-life balance.
“Often, employees can bring this stress into their families, and it affects their daily lives even when they are not at work,” Powell explained.
In addition to deteriorating mental health and strained relationships, employees may also turn to medication or alcohol consumption to manage stress, said Dr. Christine Fuller, clinical review specialist in mental health and addiction with a background in family medicine.
Below, experts share how you can tell if you’re in a toxic work environment — and what to do regarding it.
Learn regarding a toxic workplace
Fuller noted that the signs of a toxic work environment are not necessarily as obvious as many people think, and added that thinking regarding a toxic work environment may go straight to verbal or sexual harassment.
“Any workplace makes you feel uncomfortable, or makes you feel like you can’t ask for what you need and are not supported,” Fuller explained.
Powell noted that a toxic workplace can be an environment in which “an employee may feel stuck.”
“Often in a toxic work environment, people aren’t given opportunities to develop themselves or get promotions,” Fuller said.
She added that not having any ability to upward movement can also affect morale in the workplace, knowing that no matter how hard you work, there is no promotion you can get.
One of the clear signs of a toxic work environment, Powell notes, is when supervisors manage employees in every detail.
When a manager closely monitors employees, constantly checking every little task, employees can feel that the company does not trust them.
“If you are micromanaged, you are more likely to believe that the business is not necessarily in your best interest or trusts you to perform the role you are paid to do,” Powell explained.
Another not-so-obvious sign of a toxic work environment is the idea that you should be available all the time, i.e. outside of work hours.
Fuller noted that employers may require you to work on weekends or longer hours without overtime pay, and these can be “smaller red flags” that people often overlook as normal work culture.
A toxic work environment culture also emerges when employees feel obligated to answer work-related calls, messages, and emails outside of work, which constitutes unpaid overtime.
What do you do if you find yourself in a toxic work environment?
If you find yourself in a toxic work environment, Powell and Fuller advise that it’s time to look for a new job.
“You can do all the coping mechanisms to deal with a toxic work environment, but I don’t think you should deal with it, you should leave it,” Fuller said.
Powell encourages her clients to set an internal timetable for their job search, and perhaps set a goal to begin actively searching for a new job within the next three to six months.
She also recommended keeping records of any workplace actions or behaviors that indicate an unhealthy work situation while you search for new jobs.
However, Powell emphasized that resigning immediately before obtaining a new job is not feasible for many people for financial reasons.
And in case you don’t want to leave, Powell has some suggestions
To try to make improvements at work, she said, you should think regarding the limits you want to impose and start working on them.
If you want to show your co-workers that you’re unavailable outside business hours, but are afraid to say it outright, you can set your phone to send calls to voicemail when you’re out of business hours.
Or set your email signature to say that following a certain time, you’ll only respond the next business day.
Powell added that if there are issues you want to bring to your supervisor’s attention, you can make them less difficult by writing a script for yourself.
Outside of work, Powell recommended incorporating more self-care practices into your daily routine such as physical activity or a hobby.
Powell also emphasized the search for treatment to manage work-related stress, adding that some full-time workers have access to such a service through their company’s employee assistance program.
“It’s time to put together some of these self-care practices so you are better able to manage stress, as it is inevitable in a toxic work environment,” she said.
