Is Your Workplace Harmful? 10 Red Flags That Show Your Workplace May Be Toxic
A harmful work environment is toxic. But how do you know if your workplace falls into that category?
There is no surefire way to determine whether or not your workplace is toxic, but there are red flags that you can watch out for to prevent falling victim to an unhealthy work environment.
1. Your coworkers are unhappy
If you look around the office and see unhappy faces, you may be in a negative work environment. While in any office space you are bound to come across a few individuals that aren’t happy, an entire unhappy office is certainly not normal, and should be taken seriously. Also, if you’re finding that one department is unhappier than others, that’s a red flag that you may be on the wrong team or in the wrong role.
2. You feel unwelcome
If your office environment is not welcoming, some changes likely need to be made. This can mean you feel like you don’t fit in or that you feel your presence is unwanted. Either way, this is a red flag, as you should feel entirely welcome in your workspace.
3. There’s high turnover
If you are constantly seeing new people start and quit at your company, you may be in a toxic workspace. Higher turnover rates can be associated with certain roles, which is why you shouldn’t necessarily worry if your sales job has high turnover. However, if you are seeing interdepartmental turnover that seems too frequent, keep an eye out, as there’s obviously something at this company that employees aren’t liking.
4. Opinions aren’t valued
Any successful organization values its employees and their opinions. If your organization doesn’t seem to care about any employee concerns, your workplace may be toxic. Employee concerns should be highly rated, and while every concern couldn’t possibly be considered, if your organization doesn’t appear to value any concerns or opinions, you could be in a harmful work environment.
5. Inconsistency
Inconsistency in the workplace is another sign that your workplace is harmful. This essentially means that rules in the work environment are different for different individuals or are constantly changing with no consistency whatsoever. Basically, your work environment can be flexible, but if it’s entirely inconsistent, this can be a sign that management isn’t organized, which is negative for the company and for employee morale.
6. No career growth
Sometimes, an organization doesn’t provide you an opportunity for growth, and that’s not necessarily to say you’re in a toxic environment. However, if you were promised potential for growth and management has gone back on that promise, you are likely in a harmful work environment. Be sure that you’re having clear conversations with management about your future, and, if there is no room for growth there where it was promised, start considering other options.
7. You feel unhappy
Perhaps one of the most important signs of toxicity in a work environment is with your personal happiness. If you dread going to work every day and you feel overall unhappy with your job, you’re likely in a toxic environment for you, even if the workplace in itself isn’t a harmful one. Essentially, this comes down to you, and if you’re unhappy, you should start looking elsewhere.
8. There’s no support
This can be in terms of your daily tasks at work, your personal needs, your growth potential, and countless other reasons, but if you aren’t supported by your management team, odds are your work environment is harmful. Your employer should care about not only your performance at work but also your well-being, and if neither of these matters seem to be of importance, you’ll want to start looking elsewhere. At the very least, you should sit down with management to address these issues if leaving isn’t an option.
9. Lack of respect
If there’s a lack of respect, between employees or between subordinates and management, there is an issue with the workplace. All opinions and ideas should be respected, and, as an individual, you should feel respected in the workplace. If this is not how your work environment is, it may be toxic. Mutual respect is essential to a working environment, so be sure that this is one of your highest priorities in your work life.
10. Poor communication
If there’s a lack of communication in the workplace, you are also likely in a negative environment. Communication within the workplace is another essential item in terms of a successful environment, so if there’s a lack of communication, there’s likely an issue with the workplace. Try to open a gate for communication with your boss and colleagues, and if that doesn’t work, keep an eye out for other opportunities.
Negativity in the workplace can impact your workplace happiness, and a toxic environment can change your entire attitude in a work environment. So keep an eye out for these red flags to help you determine whether or not your workplace is harmful.