For many people, the office can feel like a second home. After all, you spend the majority of your waking hours there. You probably spend more time with your co-workers than you do with your family.
If you’re not happy with your work environment, that dissatisfaction can carry over into your personal life, damaging everything from your self-esteem to your friendships.
Toxic workplaces also can have an impact on your health: the increased stress of working in a dysfunctional office can lead to job burnout, fatigue, and depression.
If any of the above symptoms ring a bell with you, it’s time to take stock of the dysfunction in your workplace in order to evaluate if the situation is fixable — or decide if it’s time to move on with your career.
How can you identify if you’re trapped in a hostile workplace?
Here are seven telling signs you may be working in a toxic office environment:
1. You’re told to feel “lucky you have a job.”
If you’ve ever heard this statement from your boss or HR, it’s a major red flag. This scare tactic is a means of threatening you into staying in a marginalized position, and is symptomatic of an organization that thrives on bullying behavior and control.
2. Poor communication.
Do you feel like you’re left out of the loop regarding important information? A pervasive lack of communication characterizes most toxic workplaces. You may get little to no feedback about your performance, and when you do, it’s negative and harsh — not the constructive type.
You may be doing the work of two, three, or four people, yet it’s not unusual for your boss or colleagues to take credit for your accomplishments.
If you’ve had a discussion with management or HR several times regarding a lack of recognition and a dearth of growth opportunities (such as promotions, raises, and challenging assignments), yet have seen no changes, it may be time to leave.
3. Everyone has a bad attitude.
If you walk into work and everyone around you is miserable, a la “Office Space,” then you may be trapped in a hostile environment.
In this type of office, there is no enthusiasm; no one coming in with smiles on their faces and no one ever says “I love working here.”
A high turnover rate among employees is a good sign that people are fleeing very quickly, most likely because of their unhappiness and poor morale at the office.
Read the full article HERE.
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