Is your workplace “toxic”?

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Toxic working environment is a definition that not only refers to workplaces with an environment that adversely affects human health, but also includes other factors such as poor leadership, inappropriate co-worker personalities. or low labor morale. A bad working environment can make employees feel scared every first morning of the week and have a long-term impact on morale after working here for a long time.

1. What factors can cause a toxic work environment?

Toxic working environment can be anywhere if the right conditions are affected, especially in the context of the Covid pandemic raging around the world and workers have to adapt to a new way of working. new- work remotely. Factors that can affect the working environment include:
A “toxic” leader Leaders who tend to manipulate and distort facts for personal gain can create negative consequences. The working environment lacks transparency, heavily affecting the psychology of employees.
In addition, these bosses also try to exploit and exploit employees for their own purposes regardless of their feelings. Outside of these leaders, they always show their best for their work, everything they do is for the development of the business, but their real goal is to improve their income and life. .
"Toxic" in co-worker relationships Co-workers with a "toxic" bias will always complain about the job, the working environment makes you feel hard to trust. What's more, this negative attitude can seriously affect work productivity as they constantly blame the failures at work, make excuses and never accept responsibility.
The resonance between the personalities of these colleagues and an already "toxic" working environment will make relationships more complicated and stressful.
A “toxic” operating system Even with a good leader and friendly co-worker relationships, the way the enterprise system operates can create a toxic work environment according to its own way.
The lack of communication at work is a prime example of creating a toxic work environment when the management does not clearly articulate the criteria of the work, while the employees cannot complete the work. into assigned tasks. Everyone seems to be not moving towards the same goal and eventually conflicts will arise.
Another example can be mentioned when employees are not provided with any means to improve their professional skills and abilities. Every employee can feel alone when they have to get things done without being equipped with the necessary knowledge and training to bring value to the company.
Currently, working from home is creating a new type of “toxic” environment where people can only see each other through online screens, the necessary support and interaction between co-workers and colleagues. industry is not fully exploited and this can create a negative mentality for workers.

2. How does the “toxic” working environment affect employees?

Pressures in a toxic working environment will lead to negative effects on work productivity and workers' lives. They easily become irritable or depressed when faced with difficulties, always have a feeling of having to compete and race continuously before being eliminated. What's more, people who are unable to separate work life from real life may unwittingly bring about negative experiences for family, loved ones, and friends. This makes the sources of spiritual encouragement from family relationships become limited, creating a spiral of pressure from work, family, and society that cannot be resolved.
Bringing the inhibitions and “toxic” home from work can also have unexpected health consequences. Symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, back pain and other physical impairments are very common among workers working in “toxic” environments. Paying attention to the body's abnormal expressions also contributes to assessing whether your work environment is "toxic" and should the work environment be changed?

3. What to do when in a “toxic” work environment?

Employees also need to know how to protect themselves when working in a "toxic" environment in the following ways:
Focus on their expertise: Ignoring side problems and completing tasks well assigned tasks will help you avoid negative influences from leaders and colleagues; Validate the assigned requirements: Having a specific discussion with the instructor about your understanding of the assigned task will help you avoid errors or disagreements that are not currently in the work; Limit contact with "toxic" people: If possible, limit conversations or private meetings with people you consider "toxic" to your work. Having other people around can help you avoid being attacked by these people; Ask others to evaluate the work environment: Objective reviews from friends or colleagues in other departments can help you have a correct view of your working environment. From there it is possible to draw the most realistic conclusions about where you are working and have better opposite solutions; Managing “backwards”: Employees should have frank and transparent conversations with their supervisor or leader about difficulties at work that make you intolerable. This will have certain implications for higher-ups to at least think about changing the working environment; Quitting: This may seem like a negative measure, but it's actually the simplest thing to get out of a "toxic" work environment. However, it is necessary to consider the advantages and disadvantages that it can bring to avoid having to continue to face difficulties after unemployment.

In short, a toxic working environment can make employees feel scared every morning at the beginning of the week and have a long-term impact on morale after a long time working here. Therefore, knowing whether the workplace is toxic will help you have the correct solution.

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Reference source: webmd.com