10 Signs of a Toxic Labor Environment

Some time ago you are feeling bored of your work. You no longer have the same energy that you had at the beginning and the creativity that you brought when they hired you has stalled.

He Work environment Is key for you to be productive at work and to lead a healthy life mentally and even physically.

Person stressed in bad work environment

Some signs of a bad work environment are:

  • You feel unmotivated, because for various reasons you have been slowly disappointing from that place that seemed to be the ideal.
  • You just do your job and you do not feel like giving more. You know you could do things better, but you just feel like it's not worth the effort.
  • It's hard for you to get out of bed in the mornings, and once you get to your place you do not stop to look at the clock every 15 minutes, wishing it arrives the time of departure.
  • You feel tired most of the time, even when you've slept enough hours. You're late for work and you're one of the first to leave.

You have recently experienced changes in your appetite, muscle aches, migraines, stomach problems or other series of physical and mental symptoms.

Notes that not only this happens to you, but some of your co-workers are also in the same situation.

Does it sound familiar to you?

Because our work is the place where we spend most of our day, it is necessary that this is a pleasant and suitable environment for our health Mental, and not just a source of income.

One of the reasons is that by nature we seek recognition and self-realization. As proposed by the well-known American psychologist Abraham Maslow in his work A Theory of Human Motivation .

When these needs are not met and we begin to experience negative emotions regarding our abilities, and our working environment, We should pause for a moment and think: Am I in a toxic work environment?

What is a toxic labor environment?

It is one where human interactions occur repetitively in a dysfunctional way, becoming this pattern of form Intrinsic as part of the internal culture.

Dysfunctional interactions come from senior positions. From there, the leadership style that the rest of the company will adopt Immediately.

Here are some of the most common signs that come up in toxic work environments that can help you identify if you You find in one of them:

1-Absenteeism

It is normal for people to get sick, have medical appointments, or need to attend an occasional activity that forces them to be absent from the work. But when this behavior becomes repetitive it could be a warning sign.

Miss at least 3 times each month or more, constantly ask for leave to be taken either to perform personal errands, medical appointments, Illness, etc., is a typical form of absenteeism.

Another form of absenteeism is mental absence, that is, reaching your place of work and using most of the time doing activities that do not Are related to your delegated tasks.

2-Verbal and / or psychological maltreatment on the part of superiors

There is no respect in the way the superiors address the rest of the staff. They indiscriminately use cynicism and sarcasm in the way they approach employees.

This is also reflected in the formulation of derogatory comments, non-constructive criticism and comparisons between peers, which instead of Encourage teamwork, incite competition.

3-Bad communication

Harmonious communication between staff is not handled, but usually, they send"messengers"or notifications They do not formally.

Another form of bad communication in a work environment is not expressing verbal or written information but rather assumes that the other person Know or should know.

In many of these cases the bosses are not clear or specific about how they want certain tasks to be performed waiting for their subordinates to"read their
Mind"or guess those details.

4-The employee is not protected

The company for which you work is more vigilant for your own interests (customers, cost savings, etc.) than for The interests of its workers.

Usually in this type of companies there is no rotation or promotion possibilities. Nor do they offer relevant trainings to the position or career.

People can last 10 years doing the same job, with no chance of being promoted or even considered for promotion.

Internal policies for staff are unknown and change without notice, these sudden changes are usually to the disadvantage of Workers.

5-Leadership dictatorial and / or autocratic

In this Type of leadership It is the boss who makes decisions no matter what the rest of his team Think. He does not listen or care about the opinion of others, which leads employees to be afraid to talk about any situation of disagreement by Fear of reprisals.

These types of leaders are suspicious people, since they consider that only they can do the job well, and that no one knows as much as they do.

Often this distrust is due to internal insecurities of the leader, especially when there is one of his employees that stands out and somehow You may begin to regard it as a threat.

6-Low moral

Usually your superiors highlight more the mistakes of their subordinates but hardly recognize their achievements. This produces Employees are limited to doing only what is right for them.

Low moral is a murderer of the creativity , That is why many workers who at first were excellent, become regular or mediocre, thanks to
That their capabilities were never developed.

7-Work overload

You have been delegated too many responsibilities or tasks that have been added if your consent, or the bosses Force to remain.

8-No equal rights

While the mistakes some make are overlooked, the mistakes of others are taken to the ultimate consequences.

9-Inadequate handling of conflicts

They always look for guilty instead of solutions. This is taken as part of the internal"culture"of the company from superiors to subordinates. No one takes responsibility for their mistakes because it is always easier to justify blaming others.

10-No one watches for the welfare of employees

As much as problems affect more than one, no one dares to step forward and express how he feels.

Many times because the boss or the person in charge is emotionally inaccessible, always being busy or always prefers to talk rather than listen What others have to say.

On some occasions it may be that once someone took the initiative and expressed their nonconformities and the results were not as expected.

Do you identify with one or more?

Then, we could say that unfortunately these are in a toxic labor environment.

Here are some guidelines that will help you improve this situation:

  • Talk to someone who is in charge of the staff. Sometimes circumstances do not change because no one talks about it. This will not only help you Emotional charge but also set a precedent.
  • If you have already tried to talk about the issue with the person in charge and you have not seen positive changes, it is time to look for a plan B.
  • Make an objective list of your skills and everything that as a worker you expect and deserve. This way you will clarify your ideas and be more selective in your Next job search.
  • Do not make desperate decisions. Carefully plan your next step, especially if you have financial responsibilities to meet. Search The help of someone of confidence who can advise you.
  • If you have been thinking of working independently, this would be a good time, if your conditions allow it.
  • Practice a hobby, so that your thoughts are not always fixed in your problems, but give the opportunity to your mind to clear With other activities.
  • Reading a book, walking your pet, spending quality time with your loved ones, or any activity you enjoy can help you Lower levels Of stress And to improve your State of mind .

Think that you will not be in that place all your life. This is just one more job, one more experience of which you have benefited in a certain way but then Better opportunities will come.

And finally:

Keep in mind that in any company that you hire, you will find points that you do not like, but it is not a question of finding the perfect place but a right place.

Work is just another area of ​​your life. Do not let your work environment be the one that defines your mental health, much less your value as a person.

With what other signs have you found yourself in a bad working environment?


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