Hello, everyone! Welcome back to Kyrabe Stories. Today, we have a special guest post from P.A. Raymond on signs you are in a toxic work environment!
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Having a job is an acquired responsibility few can escape from. It is usually our first or only source of income. It keeps our needs and expenses in check, so it is hard to imagine not having one for an extended period. It is for this reason, that many of us are willing to cope with our current work environments. However, there are moments we aren’t even able to identify we’re in a toxic work environment, and we simply start to feel burned out when we’ve been exposed to it for a while.
Some signs show that you are currently in a toxic work environment, and the purpose of this article is not directly to convince you to quit your job. It is recommended to identify these signs and measure how long are you physically and mentally capable of standing it. This way, you can take a calculated risk if the need to switch jobs arises.
Usually, a job description specifies your duties with your employer. These determine what you have to do and even the hours you’re supposed to do it. It is common to see the workload increase during certain seasons or times of the day. This is not a sign of a toxic workspace, but it’s when your tasks are not clear and you end up “doing it all” without limits or boundaries set in place or previously established in your contract, then there is a possibility that your responsibilities are being broadened without your consent or knowledge.
And while it’s true there are positions where miscellaneous tasks are expected, when your job description is clear and your designated tasks are constantly taken out of that field without proper compensation, you may be in the presence of a toxic work environment.
There’s nothing wrong with friendly work competition over a trip, bonus, or something similar from time to time. When played well, these competitions boost productivity for those interested in participating. This becomes a problem when the competition is constant and you no longer see your coworkers as coworkers but opponents or even enemies.
This is more common in sales-related jobs, where employees fight to meet their quotas. Certain companies set rules to keep the competition ethical and fair. But when your job is directly pushing you to see your coworkers as rivals, the environment fills with a lack of trust and no comradery at all. In other words, you don’t feel like part of a company or a team anymore but on a solo mission to beat the rest of those working with you.
Some individuals thrive in this type of competitive environment and I respect that if you do. But if you feel this is taking too much of your sanity, you may need to replan your source of income before it’s too late.
This is very common with employers with unclear or unrealistic goals. Managers or team leaders are meant to create goals that are realistic and reachable. One of the most common bad practices is either setting the bar too high or not setting a bar at all.
As an employee, it is discouraging to know a goal is impossible, or that there simply is no goal but a demand to produce more and more indefinitely. These create a toxic environment because 1) you will never reach an unrealistic goal and 2) you have no clear parameters that help you set your workflow to reach a set goal.
Especially at the entry level, you may encounter employers who remind you that if you leave, many more can fill your position. This is done as subtlety as telling you how many people would love to have your job for that salary, or straight up showing you in a meeting how many CVs arrived at HR during that month.
This is done so employees don’t complain over demands or the work environment as peer pressure gives the impression that these conditions are normal. If you feel your concern is reasonable and yet met with the argument of how many would want your job instead, you may be in a toxic work environment.
A healthy debate has two parties listening to the opposite side and providing arguments that support your point of view. Certain companies have the means for employees to speak up regarding a situation that is causing them problems with a coworker or even a manager.
When these means of communicating our concerns are blocked or nonexistent, we may feel trapped in our current situation. This is especially more burdensome when we have a harassment situation and the employer or our immediate leader gives us no clear road to state our claim. If this situation happens, not only is the work environment toxic, but it may be possible to resort to external support, such as an attorney.
This is not always a bad thing, but there can be moments when a shift in the direction of a company can create a toxic environment. This will depend on how the new direction addresses the concerns of the employees.
Sadly, when a company is overtaken by a new direction, it is possible to encounter those leaders with the mindset of, “These are the changes, and those against it are free to leave.” Others may not have a very clear understanding of how the company works; this is common when investors are getting their hands too deep into the company without actually knowing how it works. This can cause shifts in policies, and the way the company works could have a sudden change without properly addressing it, causing confusion and stress among the employees.
Some employers will try to tackle this change and provide new training to their employees, but some would dismiss the relevance of this and create a burden on the employees who are not able to assimilate the changes.
While there are more obvious signs of a toxic workplace, we thought it important to show those who share a thin line between duty and abuse. It is always important to remember that a salary is useful for accomplishing certain goals, and we must gauge if we’re willing to sell our time, health, and sanity for the amount we’re provided.
At the very least, we have to always ask ourselves, “How long can I keep this rhythm, before it starts to damage me?”
Thanks again for the special guest post from P.A. Raymond on signs you are in a toxic work environment!
And when it comes to deciding on positive changes for your well-being in any aspect of your life, strive to make it happen one story at a time!
Take care,
The Kyrabe Stories team
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