Do you work for a company where you feel unappreciated, mistreated, and generally uneasy? Do you dread going to work more often than not? Are you struggling with your mental health because of your job?
Toxic work environments make their employees dread going to work because they’re treated in ways they find unacceptable but they feel powerless to stop it. Some organisations are thoroughly toxic and clearly unhealthy places to work, but it’s much more common for companies to have only some harmful qualities and/or the toxicity is limited to certain circumstances and/or groups of people.
Organisation can have positive qualities that almost compensate for their harmful aspects. This can make them more tolerable to work for, yet it can also make it more difficult to realise that your treatment at work is causing you mental strain and distress. Even when workplaces only have one toxic quality, they can still harm your mental health.
Disliking your job or even struggling with your mental health because of work isn’t always evidence you’re at a company that is toxic or has toxic traits. It’s possible that the environment isn’t a good fit for you, but others with different personalities, skills, experiences, priorities, and preferences would enjoy and excel in the same environment. There are also environments you could excel in that would be challenging for others. It’s not a personal failing to be affected by an unhealthy company culture the same way it’s not someone’s fault if they’re unhappy in a relationship – they’re just not compatible so it’s best that they leave the situation.
If you’re experiencing toxicity at your workplace, identifying what is making it toxic and how it’s affecting you and can be highly valuable taking care of your mental health and deciding what actions you should take.
Below is a list of some common – but not always obvious – ways that cultures can be unhealthy:
1) Responding to mistakes with shame
Shame is a powerful and damaging form of disrespect because it sends the message that you’re at fault because of who you are as a person – you didn’t make a mistake, you are a mistake. Experiencing shame can severely harm your mental health while making it more difficult to perform in your role, so you keep making mistakes and being shamed for them, which becomes a damaging cycle.
Most people who use shame – from managers to parents – do so because they think it works. They believe that it might be harsh in the moment, but it prevents mistakes in the future. But shame doesn’t help people improve. Even if someone initially works harder after being shamed, nothing has been done to address the reason they made a mistake – such as not understanding the concept, having responsibilities that don’t match their strengths, or not having enough time to do a good job – so it’s only a matter of time before they make the same mistakes again.
There is always a better way for leaders to engage with an employee who made a mistake. Consequences may be necessary, but shaming isn’t.
2) Rewarding certainty and punishing mistakes
Some company cultures reward those who are the most sure of themselves while penalising those who don’t try to hide their mistakes or having more to learn. This is a toxic quality that can negatively impact the organisation as well as individuals.
When employees are discouraged from asking questions and those who insist they have the answers – whether this is based in reality or not – are rewarded, the company is at risk of mistakes and bad decisions that can be costly for the company. Unhealthy behaviours are encouraged because often the loudest and most forceful person in the room will be considered the one who should be listened to. This can easily lead to disrespect and abuse becoming commonplace. It also stifles growth, which needs an environment where you can admit what you don’t know and are encouraged to find answers.
Asking questions and being able to admit your mistakes so you can learn from them is important to learning and avoiding mistakes in the future. And encouraging employees to speak up when they have more to learn encourages humility, growth and problem-solving, which is benefits the organisation and the employees.
3) Exploitation
Exploitative organisations expect their employees to work harder and/or longer – sometimes in needlessly difficult conditions – than what is reasonable. Those who don’t meet expectations can be labelled as unmotivated, lazy, uncommitted and ungrateful. Even those who do what is required of them, but no more, can worry that their jeopardising their career.
Some organisations are transparent about demanding conditions, such as having clearly defined long hours and high workloads, but these expectations are more often uncommunicated, especially to job-seekers. Because not many people want to work for a company that requires unpaid overtime, prioritising their job over free time, and always being available, managers find other ways of making sure employees understand what is expected, typically by punishing those who they think aren’t doing enough.
Individuals can make the decision to work hard to prove themselves, but quite often company cultures are the reason that people feel the need to have such a high level of commitment to their jobs. Although being passionate about your work so you’re willing to give extra when it is required of you can be very rewarding, being consistently expected to do more that you can comfortably accomplish harms your mental health and can make you feel negatively towards what could otherwise be a satisfying career.
Trying to meet high demands will take its toll – even if you can keep up with the workload initially, the nature of exploitation is to always demand the maximum from people so even more will be expected of you. Most people who work for an exploitative organisation will become exhausted and at risk of experiencing burnout.
4) Different rules for different people
When there is one set of rules for certain people but not for others, many people will experience this as a toxic workplace, especially those who receive harsher treatment.
Workplace discrimination – treating someone less favourably because of their background or certain characteristics – is rare, but it’s incredibly damaging for the people who experience it. There are few people who can be discriminated against without their mental health suffering.
Even those who aren’t discriminated against can be affected by the toxicity this creates in the workplace. Those who think that the ways certain people are being treated is unfair yet they feel powerless to stop it can be upset by what is happening and how little they can do to help.
Discrimination is also evidence that leadership follows values many people would find unappealing and is comfortable disregarding their legal obligation to give all employees and potential hires equal opportunities, which means they could be asked to do something illegal or ethically questionable at some point.
5) Inconsistency
Consistent rules and expectations are important in workplaces. Inconsistency can take the form of different rules for different people and/or rules that are only sometimes enforced.
In inconsistent environments, the people who receive worse treatment tend to be frustrated by the unfairness of the system, while those who are treated preferably can strive to maintain the toxic environment because it benefits them. This could be people who are friendly with management being allowed to break rules while those who aren’t as close with their bosses get written up for the same behaviour.
But even those who do enjoy preferential treatment can experience mental health consequences from this environment because there’s always the risk that they could lose their privileged position.
When rules aren’t consistently followed, employees can feel stressed because they can’t be sure what rules to follow and have to worry about upsetting management no matter what they do.
6) Toxic positivity
Some workplaces are toxic because of an uncompromising – even ruthless – commitment to positivity. Leadership can discourage people from voicing concerns and shut down or ignore complaints and requests for change by labelling them as harmful negativity.
Staying positive in the face of challenges and hardships is a very useful quality and is essential to building resilience. But positivity becomes toxic when someone demands it from themselves and the people around them, no matter how difficult the situation is.
While some employers who expect unconditional positivity may genuinely believe that this mindset is in their workers’ best interests, it can also benefit the organisation. When all complaints – no matter how legitimate – can be shut down by telling someone they have to stop being so negative, it’s very difficult to initiate change, so toxic practices that benefit the company at the expense of workers’ wellbeing can continue unchallenged.
7) Disrespect
All of the ways that company cultures can be toxic are a version of disrespect. This is the not only most common reason workplaces are toxic, but it’s the most impactful as well.
Disrespect can take many forms, but it’s characterised by people not caring about how their behaviour will affect others. Disrespect can be direct and obvious, such as bullying and abusive behaviours, or it can take more subtle forms like ignoring requests for change and unfair expectations.
If disrespect is permitted, especially if it’s modelled by management, it’s natural for at least some employees to being treating each other disrespectfully. People won’t feel comfortable presenting new ideas, asking for clarification or help, or admitting their mistakes because they’re likely to be disrespected if they do. Teamwork can suffer because of a lack of a collaborative environment.
What is considered disrespectful can be subjective – some people feel disrespected when jokes are made at their expense while others view teasing as a positive form of bonding. Certain types of leaders feel disrespected if their ideas are challenged no matter how this is delivered. But critical contemptuous behaviour that is intended to hurt someone will almost always be painful for the person who experiences it.
Some people have a higher tolerance for disrespect, but typically those who are the most resistant to are those who offload their negative emotions by disrespecting others, perpetuating an unhealthy and damaging cycle.
Feeling respected, trusting your colleagues, and being confident that problems and concerns will be discussed is critical to feeling secure at your workplace. If these qualities are lacking, even if everyone experiences the same types of treatment, you’re much more likely to struggle with your mental health and be negatively affected by the environment.
Toxicity in the workplace often puts an unsustainable amount of pressure on people and makes it incredibly difficult – if not impossible – to maintain your mental health. It’s common for people to develop anxiety, depression, chronic stress, and burnout because of toxicity in their workplaces. . If you work in a toxic culture, it’s very difficult not to be impacted, especially if you don’t want to compromise your values.
But organisations rarely take responsibility for how they affect the mental health of their employees. Many leaders instead place blame on the individuals and insist that it’s their fault they’re struggling, which some people believe.
Understanding how the conditions at your job may be affecting your mental health is more effective than simply blaming yourself because it gives you a more complete overview of your situation. If your job is causing you too much stress, you may want to leave, ask for different working conditions, or advocate for change.
Even if none of these are practical, you can still benefit from recognising that you’re experiencing a toxic work environment. If you’re aware that you’re under additional pressure, you’re more likely to prioritise taking care of yourself and search out ways to improve your mental health. This could be spending more time practicing self-care, learn how to disconnect, or be intentional in your thoughts to prevent ruminating.
You may also benefit from working with a mental health professional. Some people experiencing a toxic work environment will mentally disengage in an attempt to block out negativity, so it can be difficult to know what you need to start feeling better. A trained professional can help you discover the best methods for taking care of yourself and potentially suggest new ways of thinking about your situation that can make you feel more hopeful and empowered.
Toxic workplaces can do incredible damage, even if the toxicity is limited. Therefore, it’s valuable to be able to identify toxic traits and determine if they’re impacting your mental health so that you can make an informed decision about what you should do next.
