Welcome to the grey area of modern work life! With remote work having skyrocketed since 2020, and cross-country employment becoming increasingly prevalent, as well as worldwide economic decline putting many in a tight spot, it seems that exploitation is the order of the day as we move between legal boundaries and take advantage of various loopholes whether virtually or in-person, toxic work environments have become a major topic of discussion during sessions with an online therapist.
That’s why we decided to address it in one of our articles. Not just to educate others on what constitutes a toxic work environment and the effects thereof, but also to help people know when it’s time to jump ship. Here’s what you need to know:
What is a Toxic Work Environment?
A work environment doesn’t automatically become toxic simply because you have to do work you don’t enjoy doing. Being in a toxic work environment constitutes being surrounded and bombarded with so many problematic occurrences and events that the actual work you’ve been employed to do really ends up taking a backseat as your focus shifts to just surviving the day.
In fact, toxic work environments are so detrimental to one’s well-being that they have become a primary driver for calling it quits. For example, over 47 million Americans quit their jobs in 2021 alone, citing toxic work environments as the reason.
Find Out If You’re in a Toxic Work Environment
If you’re uncertain of whether you’re finding yourself in a toxic environment, check out some of the most common red flags:
- You’re constantly on the receiving end of bullying, intimidation, and threats.
- You feel blatantly disrespected, time and time again.
- There is no consideration for employees’ well-being.
- The company is guilty of unethical business and labor practices.
- There’s a lot of favoritism happening.
- There’s a lot of office politics.
- You are constantly stressing over work – whether it’s during working hours or your off periods.
- There is a lack of trust due to the same old issues recurring over and over again.
- There are constant miscommunications or attempts at being purposefully vague and non-transparent.
- Leadership is intolerant or discriminatory.
- The company has a high employee turnover rate. Research has proven that companies with a high employee turnover are 10 times more likely to foster a toxic work environment.
- There’s next to no engagement between Exco and the rest of the employees.
- There is no due process in place, and proper organizational procedures are practically nonexistent.
- There is a general fear among employees when it comes to speaking up.
- There is a clear abuse of power.
- You’re constantly feeling overworked with not much recognition or appreciation to show for it.
The Impact of Toxic Environments on Your Health
One third of your life (that’s roughly 90,000 hours!) is spent at work. So, it’s not surprising that your work environment can have a significant impact on your health. Here are some of the consequences of finding yourself in such an environment:
The Impact on Your Mental Health
Toxic work environments can take a significant toll on your mental health. These are some of the most common symptoms/results:
Anxiety
When your stress sylinders have been firing 24/7 for so long, you level up to just constant anxiety. A colleague calls your name, and you jump; you receive a meeting request, and you get heart palpitations.
Depression
If you don’t enjoy what you’re required to do the majority of the day, no one is going to fault you for being extremely sad about it. And if this sadness is on a type of eternal rinse and repeat cycle, chronic Depression will be the order of the day.
Loss of Interest and Motivation
If you’re never being recognized for any accomplishments or the amount of work you do, why would you stay invested? Some might end up doing the bare basics, while others end up actually “ghosting” their responsibilities completely.
Difficulty Concentrating
With your mind constantly preoccupied with hostile emails, conflicts in the boardroom, or gossip around the watercooler, it’s not hard to understand why you’re unable to concentrate on the work that actually needs to get done.
Struggling with Feelings of Worthlessness
This should also not be surprising after the constant reinforcement of the messaging that you’re worthless, whether it’s not valuing your opinions or appreciating and celebrating your wins. Not feeling seen, heard, or appreciated often leads to feelings of worthlessness being expressed during sessions with an online therapist.
Burnout
An average of 76% of employees worldwide suffer from burnout at some point, which is quite telling when it comes to our work environments and cultures. Burnout goes far beyond a trending term – it’s when you’ve given so much of yourself over an extended period that you experience a complete physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that can leave you entirely unable to complete the most basic of daily functions.
Sleep Disturbances & Actual Disorders
As an online therapist, I’ve seen this progression too many times. What starts as an inability to sleep due to worry or a mind that’s racing full of thoughts and plans can steadily turn into a full-blown sleep disorder. I’ve had many patients desperate for some form of relief after spending numerous nights waking up every couple of hours, never really getting any of that crucial REM sleep time.
Others wake up early in the morning, finding themselves in that terrible purgatory of having had too little sleep, yet with very few hours left before they have to get up anyway. Others end up being unable to sleep at all, making work life practically impossible.
PTSD
No jokes! Your work environment can equate to a literal warzone when it comes to your mental health. You can find yourself having extreme reactions when someone merely mentions your name. An email notification can have you sweating bullets. You can even find certain sounds triggering you in your downtime!
A Work-Life Balance That’s Out of Sync
It becomes challenging to set boundaries in a toxic work environment (think The Devil Wears Prada). Emails need to be answered over weekends, you receive late-night calls, and an original 8 hours of work turns into 10, 12, 14… Your spouse gets angry, your children feel neglected, and friends eventually stop inviting you to things altogether. The line between work and your private life has become so blurry that you no longer know where one ends and the other begins.
The Impact on Your Physical Health
Yes, it’s not just your mental health that suffers in a toxic work environment. All the turmoil can start manifesting itself physically! Here’s how:
- You find yourself racking up sick days. As an online therapist, I generally hear phrases such as “I’ve never been sick so often in my life!” It seems like you’re already down with the next bout just as you get over the first. And if you’re not taking leave, staying home to recover from illness, you’re constantly nursing a headache or stomach cramps while at work.
- You suddenly have heart problems. Everything from heart palpitations to high blood pressure – as someone who’s never had heart problems a day in your life, you now suddenly find yourself combating all sorts of cardiovascular issues.
- You get a serious illness. There’s a New York Times bestselling book by Dutch-American Psychiatrist and author Bessel van der Kolk, called The Body Keeps the Score, that can keep you up at night about the profound effects today’s psychological struggles can have on tomorrow’s long-term physical health.
Perhaps you’ve already heard phrases such as “be careful with stress, it accumulates and turns into cancer later in life.” Now, we’re not saying that a toxic work environment will guarantee a severe chronic or terminal disease. Still, studies done by the US Surgeon General have already concluded that the health risks associated with toxic work environments are equivalent to secondhand smoking!
How to Deal with a Toxic Work Environment
Dealing with a toxic work environment is not easy, but there are ways to do so:
- Start taking notes: record the events, the dates they occurred, and the people involved. You will need this when the bomb eventually goes off (and it always does in toxic work environments).
- Speak up, whether it’s directly to the individual causing the issues, to leadership, or HR. There needs to be records of you trying to resolve the situation.
- Start to enforce certain boundaries. For example, start ignoring emails and phone calls that come in after hours.
- Pay special attention to your professionalism. It can become extremely tempting to have an emotional reaction to the toxic situations and people around you (and as an online therapist, we’ve heard some pretty wild “and I’m taking the fish!” Jerry McGuire-like moments). Stay composed and keep your side of the street clean.
- Seek out support. Although venting to family and friends can be helpful, their advice might not be. So, look for professional support, such as an online therapist, where you know you won’t get steered in the wrong direction.
- Sometimes the healthiest option is just to leave. When you see and experience any of the following, it’s time to make a difficult decision:
- Persistent issues and patterns of mistreatment that never get addressed.
- You’ve seen a drastic decline in your mental and physical health.
- HR is completely AWOL when it comes to getting involved or addressing concerns.
- You’ve reached a point of complete hopelessness.
A Few Final Thoughts
Toxic work environments have become such a prominent subject during online therapist sessions with good reason. Employers take advantage of economic situations and cross-country discrepancies to exploit employees for their own gain.
But with toxic environments increasing your odds for experiencing severe mental health symptoms by 2.5 times, is the cost you’re paying truly worth the salary? Stay vigilant, watch out for those red flags, and make a point of assessing and evaluating your work environment. Be courageous enough to prioritize your well-being and health when the personal cost no longer justifies the income.
If you fear you might be stuck in a toxic work environment or need guidance on dealing with one, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. You can contact us at info@personalonlinetherapy.com or complete the form below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible:
