There is nothing worse than working in a toxic work environment and trying to be productive. On top of the current daily stressors, we’re still living in a COVID-19 world. Everyone is handling some stress, but everyone isn’t taking it well. So what do you do when your already toxic work environment is no longer manageable?
First, let’s define what a toxic work environment is.
A toxic work environment can be defined as a place where people hate going to work and are unable to focus, and employee morale is low, and turnover is high.
With dealing with a toxic work environment, you have to set boundaries on what you’re willing to tolerate. In a perfect world, everyone would realize we are in a pandemic and extend grace to everyone and be kind. However, we’re not in a perfect world. Can the culture of a work environment change? Yes, the culture can change, but you must also remember that this will not be an overnight change. So you may decide that you’re willing to stay, and you will help with being a part of the change. To start, you can have a conversation with HR on your issues and concerns so they can begin to investigate the problems, and you can work with them to help begin to change the culture.
If you choose to hang in there, you may want to work on focusing on what you once enjoyed about work and or participating in projects that will help with fostering the change in the office you’d like to see. You can’t complain and then choose to stand on the sidelines!
It will also be helpful if you have someone you can confide in at work… a work BFF. When you choose your best friend, you will want to make sure they’re a safe person and will not be using all of the information you share to help their career. I survived many days by having a work BFF that I could vent to about the challenges of working on toxic teams.
What if I’ve already done all that….
What do you do when you’ve already raised this issue to HR but have not seen any changes? Well, at this point, it may be time to think about the type of culture you would like to work in and if it’s time to make an exit plan.
It may also be time to begin to update your resume and reach out to your network.
With updating your resume, this is something you should do quarterly. It’s best not to wait until you need to update your resume. By keeping a current resume, you can quickly get this out to your network and begin to get leads on new opportunities.
If you’re creating an exit plan, you will need to start to set aside time to look for new positions. If you’re already tight on time, you should look at setting up job alerts. With setting up job alerts, you can get daily or weekly alerts on new opportunities. You can also look at applying to roles internally to get off of a toxic team.
Only you can determine when you’re at your limits, and your patience has run out with the current environment. I feel like it’s usually at the point when the thought of work makes you ill. Or at least that’s how I know when I can no longer tolerate the environment. You have to self-aware of your health and take a proactive approach with managing stressors and setting work boundaries. With the many challenges of this year, I believe that companies are starting to realize the steps they need to take to improve their culture to ensure it fosters diversity and inclusion. However, you will know when it’s time to exit.
What are the ways that you’ve been able to manage work stress this year?
Tiffany
