How To Tell If Your Workplace Is Toxic

A recent survey found that 51 per cent of Her World readers would leave a company because of a toxic environment but what does toxic mean, anyway?

- Larissa Nair

In my first full-time role working in social media and marketing, I had a workaholic boss who demanded that our team give our heart and soul to the company. This meant being on standby 24/7 and scheduling meetings after working hours.

Of course, I understood that social media never sleeps, but it became excessive when he expected replies even in the wee hours of the morning. This led to many of us hiding our after-work activities posts on social media to avoid scrutiny when we would show up to work. Over time, the lack of boundaries bled into other areas – from insensitive comments about our appearances to uncomfortable communal venting sessions about employees he was unhappy with.

But to maintain the peace, none of us spoke out or voiced our concerns for fear of retaliation. At the time, it felt more beneficial to keep mum and seek solace in shared experiences among ourselves instead.

It made me wonder: How many of us have “sucked it up” for the sake of our career or pay cheques?

Research from Her World’s recent What Women Want Survey found that 51 per cent of respondents consider a toxic environment as the biggest deal-breaker at a job, while 63 per cent have quit a job without securing another position due to a toxic workplace.

Toxic workplaces can have a debilitating impact on our mental, emotional and physical well-being, and can also exacerbate the effects of burnout. It can affect our interpersonal relationships and, very often, many of us struggle to discern whether it’s us, or our workplaces.

It begs the question: How many of us are really stuck in toxic workplaces, and how can we distinguish between a truly toxic workplace, and simply an irritating one?

WHAT IS A TOXIC WORKPLACE, REALLY?