It is unfortunate that work—a necessary evil in life, unless you’re born under an extremely lucky star—also comes in a variety of shades of toxicity. So, not only are you by statistical proxy forced to do it, it sucks too.
But, there are ways and means to avoid it by keeping an eye on the signs—signs that women of Reddit were recently pointing out as indicative of get the heck out of there right now. Or, at least at your earliest convenience. But no later than 2 work weeks.
“We wear a lot of hats around here.”
Translation – “You will be stuck with a lot of c**p that is not in your job description, but nobody else wants to do!”.
Many people are more than aware of what toxicity is and how it manifests in a workplace. Sadly, It’s all too real for 1 in 5 employees who have to battle toxic environments on the daily.
Yep, nearly 20% of employees report having to fight against toxic work conditions like failure to act on feedback, ignoring work-life balance and unfair treatment, just to name a few.
Also any kind of “employee appreciation” that isn’t an annual event that legacy staff looks forward to.
It goes without saying that toxicity at the workplace is anything but good. It is known to lead to increased absenteeism, reduced productivity and lower levels of enthusiasm. And that’s just the start. Ultimately, I can start seeping into other areas in life, affecting your general satisfaction and mental health.
And that’s the key concept here: happiness. There is an argument of how folks are poisoning themselves by working in toxic environments as it gradually affects an employee’s happiness. And if you’re not happy as a human being, other mental health problems start coming out of the woodwork.
It is important to note that there are no clear criteria as to what a toxic environment is outside of it affecting one’s well-being.
One person might feel uncomfortable with a manager, while others have no problem with them. Same goes for the company culture, the employees, the corporate structure and pretty much anything else. It is ultimately subjective.
Whatever the case, something always has to change.
Toxic work environments are best avoided before entering them, and there are several telltale signs to look out for.
One of the biggest and easier to stop red flags is the turnover rate. These are most often caused by poor management, negative work culture, or lack of employee support. In the long run, not only do the employees suffer, but the company’s bottom line does so too.
Poor communication is another big one. In ideal cases, company staff that communicates clearly, openly and honestly foster trust and collaboration. And if you don’t do that, then there is little to no communication and so nothing realistically gets done, fostering a culture of passive aggression, contempt and just generally nobody having a good time.
Micromanage is also often cited as a sign of toxic management. It’s when a superior overdoes it with their control, surveillance and management of work related tasks delegated to other employees. It shows lack of trust and takes away the opportunity for employees to prove their potential for ownership. On top of that, it stifles growth, and, again, nobody’s happy.
Relatedly, managers who “don’t want to get involved” in things that are workplace issues. It’s their job to establish and enforce norms and boundaries.
It is not unreasonable to think that unreasonable demands are a part of a truly toxic environment. These are time consuming, draining or just flat out annoying—and it doesn’t get the job done, which entails a whole lot of trouble. It’s even worse if the employee is provided zero support under these conditions.
No thanks.
Believe it or not, lack of opportunities for growth is also considered a toxic workplace trait. It doesn’t matter if it’s structural (there are realistically no other opportunities) or artificial (someone is stifling your progress), all of it leads to dissatisfaction and a need to change that.
Oh, and also, toxic employees—they don’t help. Red flag.
This happened at my workplace a couple years ago to a friend of mine I worked with. Horrible stuff. All of the upper management and area managers are apart of this blatant good ol boy system and it is horrible. They only promote those type of guys too. Anytime they promote a women it’s because they got forced into it or because one of those good ol boys wants to get their spouses in the role.
So, what are your thoughts on any of this? Share your takes and stories in the comment section below!
And if you’ve already done that, then you can also check out the original Reddit thread or our other works on the topic.
When they offer you a signing bonus and you have to stay for a certain period of time. I’d prefer no signing bonus and my freedom. It happened twice and now I know better.
Someone that has been there for quite a while quits and for the next six months everything that goes wrong was their fault because of…… just because.
Ask them what their SOPs are, also ask them what their ORG chart looks like. If they don’t have that they don’t have it together.
If you ask the employees if they like working there and they can never give a straight up answer, high amount of turn overs, managers always stressed out, a lot of d**g abuse from stress, people that train you always annoyed and impatient due to training alot, stories of people just walking out.
“Don’t tell x what you’re making because (insert b******t reason here)”.
On day one they ask you to lie to customers and say you aren’t new, just new to their project, because they don’t want their customers to know (and worry) about the high turnover rate.
I regret to this day, not walking away from that job on that day. Never again.
When the manager treats the new person like a prize, and everyone else differently.
If your coworkers are weird about sharing their wage information !! like i wanna know so we can make sure we’re ALL being paid correctly and within reason.
“you are expected to come to the office 3 days a week”.
For jobs that don’t require a physical presence. 🙄.
Tell a fake lie to only one work person, an see how fast/far it goes and if it catches you.
“You’re not the first and you won’t be the last” when a complaint about workplace bullying was made.
Red flag: HR wears multiple hats. Like, there’s no reason HR and sales are the same person. Total conflict.
When you’re the only woman in the company 🙋🏻♀️.
Everyone is either crying, panicked, or unhappy in general. They have to skip lunch breaks (on hourly pay) to keep up. Most employees are just coasting but hoping to find another job soon. People don’t feel appreciated for their hard work so all start quiet quitting. This is my current job lol.
Yelling, not to be heard over machinery or ambient noise, but to be heard over another person.
“Hey dude, grab me the wrench will ya!” is one thing.
“I can’t believe you didn’t balance the register correctly! How hard can it possibly be?!” is quite another.
…seems obvious, but apparently not to everyone. Take care of yourselves, ladies.
Always check the Glassdoor reviews. Look out for non specifics. “The culture is so great here!” If the culture’s so great, why don’t you have specific details? .
One very tall person stands at their cubical all day and watches everything everyone does. So very creepy! Plus, he hides in the bathroom when he sees customers drive up.
High turn over or everyone being very young/newish to work force (tells me they likely pay not enough and will try to take advantage of you at every opportunity).
Change in upper leadership that then gets split into multiple positions. Nobody knows who to go to and then the “co directors” or whatever position argue over who has more authority while chaos reigns.
If there’s a relationship in the workplace. In my last job, my manager was dating the manager of the other store two minutes walk away from ours. He used to come in and berate all of us on her behalf when it should have ben her raising her complaints. It’s highly unprofessional and quite toxic.
Either they offer you the job you right after your interview or they take 5+ interviews including unpaid “working interviews” (a.k.a projects, assigned work samples, etc) to decide. I’ve had both and both places had their issues. It’s better to be somewhere in the middle.
Entire departments quitting together. People warning you not to work there. Unusual employment policies.
It is unfortunate that work—a necessary evil in life, unless you’re born under an extremely lucky star—also comes in a variety of shades of toxicity. So, not only are you by statistical proxy forced to do it, it sucks too.
But, there are ways and means to avoid it by keeping an eye on the signs—signs that women of Reddit were recently pointing out as indicative of get the heck out of there right now. Or, at least at your earliest convenience. But no later than 2 work weeks.
Translation - "You will be stuck with a lot of c**p that is not in your job description, but nobody else wants to do!".
Many people are more than aware of what toxicity is and how it manifests in a workplace. Sadly, It’s all too real for 1 in 5 employees who have to battle toxic environments on the daily.
Yep, nearly 20% of employees report having to fight against toxic work conditions like failure to act on feedback, ignoring work-life balance and unfair treatment, just to name a few.
Also any kind of “employee appreciation” that isn’t an annual event that legacy staff looks forward to.
It goes without saying that toxicity at the workplace is anything but good. It is known to lead to increased absenteeism, reduced productivity and lower levels of enthusiasm. And that’s just the start. Ultimately, I can start seeping into other areas in life, affecting your general satisfaction and mental health.
And that’s the key concept here: happiness. There is an argument of how folks are poisoning themselves by working in toxic environments as it gradually affects an employee’s happiness. And if you’re not happy as a human being, other mental health problems start coming out of the woodwork.
It is important to note that there are no clear criteria as to what a toxic environment is outside of it affecting one’s well-being.
One person might feel uncomfortable with a manager, while others have no problem with them. Same goes for the company culture, the employees, the corporate structure and pretty much anything else. It is ultimately subjective.
Whatever the case, something always has to change.
Toxic work environments are best avoided before entering them, and there are several telltale signs to look out for.
One of the biggest and easier to stop red flags is the turnover rate. These are most often caused by poor management, negative work culture, or lack of employee support. In the long run, not only do the employees suffer, but the company’s bottom line does so too.
Poor communication is another big one. In ideal cases, company staff that communicates clearly, openly and honestly foster trust and collaboration. And if you don’t do that, then there is little to no communication and so nothing realistically gets done, fostering a culture of passive aggression, contempt and just generally nobody having a good time.
Micromanage is also often cited as a sign of toxic management. It’s when a superior overdoes it with their control, surveillance and management of work related tasks delegated to other employees. It shows lack of trust and takes away the opportunity for employees to prove their potential for ownership. On top of that, it stifles growth, and, again, nobody’s happy.
Relatedly, managers who “don’t want to get involved” in things that are workplace issues. It’s their job to establish and enforce norms and boundaries.
It is not unreasonable to think that unreasonable demands are a part of a truly toxic environment. These are time consuming, draining or just flat out annoying—and it doesn’t get the job done, which entails a whole lot of trouble. It’s even worse if the employee is provided zero support under these conditions.
No thanks.
Believe it or not, lack of opportunities for growth is also considered a toxic workplace trait. It doesn’t matter if it’s structural (there are realistically no other opportunities) or artificial (someone is stifling your progress), all of it leads to dissatisfaction and a need to change that.
Oh, and also, toxic employees—they don’t help. Red flag.
This happened at my workplace a couple years ago to a friend of mine I worked with. Horrible stuff. All of the upper management and area managers are apart of this blatant good ol boy system and it is horrible. They only promote those type of guys too. Anytime they promote a women it’s because they got forced into it or because one of those good ol boys wants to get their spouses in the role.
So, what are your thoughts on any of this? Share your takes and stories in the comment section below!
And if you’ve already done that, then you can also check out the original Reddit thread or our other works on the topic.
When they offer you a signing bonus and you have to stay for a certain period of time. I’d prefer no signing bonus and my freedom. It happened twice and now I know better.
Someone that has been there for quite a while quits and for the next six months everything that goes wrong was their fault because of…… just because.
Ask them what their SOPs are, also ask them what their ORG chart looks like. If they don't have that they don't have it together.
If you ask the employees if they like working there and they can never give a straight up answer, high amount of turn overs, managers always stressed out, a lot of d**g abuse from stress, people that train you always annoyed and impatient due to training alot, stories of people just walking out.
“Don’t tell x what you’re making because (insert b******t reason here)”.
On day one they ask you to lie to customers and say you aren't new, just new to their project, because they don't want their customers to know (and worry) about the high turnover rate.
I regret to this day, not walking away from that job on that day. Never again.
When the manager treats the new person like a prize, and everyone else differently.
If your coworkers are weird about sharing their wage information !! like i wanna know so we can make sure we’re ALL being paid correctly and within reason.
"you are expected to come to the office 3 days a week".
For jobs that don't require a physical presence. 🙄.
Tell a fake lie to only one work person, an see how fast/far it goes and if it catches you.
“You’re not the first and you won’t be the last” when a complaint about workplace bullying was made.
Red flag: HR wears multiple hats. Like, there's no reason HR and sales are the same person. Total conflict.
When you’re the only woman in the company 🙋🏻♀️.
Everyone is either crying, panicked, or unhappy in general. They have to skip lunch breaks (on hourly pay) to keep up. Most employees are just coasting but hoping to find another job soon. People don’t feel appreciated for their hard work so all start quiet quitting. This is my current job lol.
Yelling, not to be heard over machinery or ambient noise, but to be heard over another person.
"Hey dude, grab me the wrench will ya!" is one thing.
"I can't believe you didn't balance the register correctly! How hard can it possibly be?!" is quite another.
...seems obvious, but apparently not to everyone. Take care of yourselves, ladies.
Always check the Glassdoor reviews. Look out for non specifics. "The culture is so great here!" If the culture's so great, why don't you have specific details? .
One very tall person stands at their cubical all day and watches everything everyone does. So very creepy! Plus, he hides in the bathroom when he sees customers drive up.
High turn over or everyone being very young/newish to work force (tells me they likely pay not enough and will try to take advantage of you at every opportunity).
Change in upper leadership that then gets split into multiple positions. Nobody knows who to go to and then the “co directors” or whatever position argue over who has more authority while chaos reigns.
If there's a relationship in the workplace. In my last job, my manager was dating the manager of the other store two minutes walk away from ours. He used to come in and berate all of us on her behalf when it should have ben her raising her complaints. It's highly unprofessional and quite toxic.
Either they offer you the job you right after your interview or they take 5+ interviews including unpaid "working interviews" (a.k.a projects, assigned work samples, etc) to decide. I've had both and both places had their issues. It's better to be somewhere in the middle.
Entire departments quitting together. People warning you not to work there. Unusual employment policies.
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