How to Identify a Toxic Workplace & How to Get Out
Work is such a huge part of our lives, and if your workplace is toxic it can suck the life right out of you. Unfulfilling, abusive, or unsupportive work can take a toll on every aspect of your life including your health and your relationships. So how can you identify if you are in a work situation that is not healthy? I’m sharing what I have gathered from my coaching clients, but also from my own experience working in a toxic job that I removed myself from in hopes that it will help you assess your work situation and make sure it’s a place that is not destructive and is WORTHY of you.
“People don’t leave jobs, they leave toxic work cultures.”
Toxic Workplace Characteristics
Although there are nuances in every workplace and every situation, here are a few signs that your workplace is toxic:
Your manager or coworkers give you feedback that is personal. We all need to be able to take feedback at work, but if you leave a review or a meeting feeling like there is something wrong with you or your personality, that is not appropriate work feedback. When criticism goes beyond specific work or work behavior and oversteps into personal characteristics, that is toxic.
Anybody in the company is facing discrimination, whether it be for gender identity, race, religious or political beliefs, or anything else. If you or someone you work with is feeling unsafe, excluded, or mistreated for any of those reasons that is not a healthy work environment.
You don’t have anyone you trust to talk to or raise concerns to. To set yourself up for success professionally, it’s best to avoid office gossip or over-sharing. But when it comes to speaking up when something isn’t right or to asking for the support you need to be successful at work, you need to have a manager, HR representative, or other safe person at your job to go to. If you are isolated or do not trust anyone at your company, that is not a good sign.
You never get reviewed/feedback on how you can improve, what you are doing well, and what it would take to move up or go the next step in the company.
You are underpaid. There is a lot of push to start being more open about our salaries and there is a ton of value in being less secretive about what we make. If you have a better sense of what other people are making in a similar position to yours, you will be able to identify if you are getting underpaid. If you have not had a pay increase in several years, that is also something to be concerned about.
You are undervalued. We know that financial compensation is not the only way we feel valued. If you aren’t feeling valued in other ways such as getting more and more work piled on you without any change in compensation, not getting any encouragement or thanks, or not feeling that your boss is invested in your success, it might be time to reevaluate your longevity at that company.
How You Might Feel in a Toxic Workplace
Another way to identify if you are in a toxic work environment is by tuning into how you feel. Checking in with yourself is an important habit to make sure you are living in alignment with what works best for you and your goals. Here are some things you might be experiencing if your workplace is toxic:
“Your worth is not determined by your ability to thrive within an oppressive culture.”
You feel exhausted, but can’t sleep
You have no energy to exercise and move your body
You feel abnormally or overly emotional
You feel unfulfilled
You feel that you are unqualified or unskilled
You don’t see a way out, or feel you are at a dead end
You feel worthless
You feel Hopeless
You are self-doubting
You are impatient
You are noticing poor eating habits or a change in your weight
You are short-tempered and things are getting under your skin easily
You feel depressed
How to Get Out
Trust Yourself
Maybe your work doesn’t show the “classic” signs of being a toxic workplace, but it feels toxic to you, that still is not where you want to be. So trust that. The first step in making a change is knowing that you want something different and then believing that you deserve it. Trust yourself to assess if your work isn’t working for you.
Make an Exit Game Plan
Sometimes when a situation is bad enough, we don’t have much time to game plan, and we need to exit immediately. Only you know your financial and emotional situation, so determine a timeline that is realistic for you. Get clear on when you will leave by, and then set a plan for what you need to do before then. Explore if there is any potential to transfer to a different boss or area of the company, set up informational interviews with people you know to see what their work environments are like, and get your resume updated and ready to apply to new opportunities. Take the steps to make a change.
Ask for Support
Being in a toxic workplace can be isolating and discouraging, so it’s a really good time to surround yourself with people who are not toxic and who lift you up. Ask your family, spouse, friends, former colleagues, to support you removing yourself from this situation. Ask them for encouragement, to recommend you for new opportunities, or for whatever else you need to feel supported in your transition.
Use Your Voice and Experience for Good
“Anything that costs your peace is too expensive.”
Experiencing a toxic workplace is really hard, and I know you wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone else. Once you have removed yourself from your toxic workplace, or have reported the toxicity to someone else within your company who has the power to change things, think about how you can pay it forward for others. If you have friends or family who are experiencing something similar, be vulnerable and share your story with them. Mentor someone else in their career so they know how to look for supportive workplaces. Share your experience with the hope that it will keep others from having the same one.
If you you feel you are in a toxic workplace and want some support in making a change, let’s talk.