Table of Contents
You wake up in the morning and feel like not going to work. It repeats the next day. You feel tired, weak, stressed, undermined, and uncomfortable at work. You are working overtime. Despite your hard work and dedication, you aren’t appreciated. It feels like every feedback is a taunt. Wait, these might be the signs of toxic workplace culture.
A toxic workplace makes you demotivated, affects your performance and productivity, and hampers your mental and physical well-being. Distraction, irritation, stress, sleep deprivation, uneasiness, sickness, etc., takes over you and they repeat every day and every time. It severely affects your professional and personal life. So, avoiding such a workplace culture is the best thing you can do for your betterment.
But, how do you know if you really are in a bad working environment? How do you identify the signs of toxic workplace culture? The situation you are in, is it just temporary or permanent?
So today, we will discuss the signs of a toxic workplace to help you avoid working in such an environment.
Signs of toxic workplace culture
Feel like quitting
One of the signs of toxic workplace culture is you feel like quitting your current job.
After working for some time, it feels like something is wrong and uncomfortable. While your intuition isn’t the only thing that matters. It might be temporary. And sometimes, you might have a tough time at the workplace. However, if you get this feeling of quitting every day, then you may be in a bad working environment. It isn’t something you get the urge of leaving out of nowhere.
If it feels like you can’t withstand the working environment, find out what is causing it and work on improving it. Even then, if something doesn’t feel right, it is best to avoid it and look for a company that is ideal for you.
Constant criticism
You give your time and effort, but if something goes wrong, everyone blames you. Even the feedback you get feels like criticism. Instead of positive suggestions, you feel you are being taunted.
If the respect you deserve or the feedback that should be in a positive and polite tone is missing, then you are in a toxic environment. Sometimes, because of workload and pressure, your superiors may give you harsh feedback. That might be understandable to some extent. However, if this continues for a long time, then it is time to get out. It will not help you at all in your career, and it will stop your growth.
Unfair company policies
Before signing the contract, check the company’s policy. Sometimes, you may miss it because you are getting a job. However, that might be your mistake. Whether it is about the working hours or remuneration or leave, if it isn’t according to labor law, then you might be working in toxic workplace culture.
A good company always focuses on its employees’ welfare, so the above factors matter to them because employees are the biggest contributors to their business growth. It always takes care of its employees, doesn’t discriminate between males and females, doesn’t play favorites, and treats everyone equally. If these are missing in your workplace, then you are in a toxic working environment.
A place where employees feel safe is the best place to work at.
Unprofessional colleagues
Are your colleagues friendly? Do they help you and communicate with you regularly? But, if they only slag you and never care to assist you, then these are the signs of toxic workplace culture.
If employees are missing deadlines, only involve themselves in gossiping, and don’t take the consequences seriously, then it is a sign of an unhealthy working environment. They constantly have conflicting discussions and fight among themselves. They pretend to be on good terms, but they aren’t.
Rather than working collaboratively and helping each other grow, your colleagues pull your legs whenever they get an opportunity. They get jealous of your hard work and growth. Beware of such a working environment.
Poor communication
If your colleagues aren’t on good terms, don’t have coordination, and there is poor communication between and among employees and management, then toxic workplace culture is prevailing.
There is rarely any communication between management and the employees. You aren’t given the roles and responsibilities clearly. You don’t get clear requirements. The only means of communication are email, chats, and text messages. You don’t get any feedback from your colleagues and your superiors. These are the signs of toxic workplace culture.
Lack of appreciation
No matter how much effort you put in and think about the company’s betterment if no one appreciates your hard work, then you are in the wrong working environment.
Appreciation boosts employees’ morale, motivating them to give their best. But, if companies don’t give value to such dedication and respect it, then it is a red flag for you to think about your current situation. It is better to look for a company that will respect your decisions, dedication, and achievements, and never humiliate you for your mistakes, but give positive feedback to work on them.
A company should always respect their employees and their achievements and hard work.
Lack of growth opportunities
A company is a place where you show your skills and expertise and expand your experience to help you grow. But if you think it is not happening at all in your current workplace, find out why. If the working environment itself is the problem, then it is best to shift to another company that is suitable for you.
If you aren’t getting any opportunities to grow your career and no one is there to mentor you, then these are the signs of toxic workplace culture.
However, if the problem is from your side, if you aren’t doing anything to grow yourself, then try to improve yourself first. Even after giving your best, if the company doesn’t provide the necessary support to grow your career, then it is a red flag telling you to switch to better working culture.
So, find the right company that will help you boost your career and fulfill your needs and goals.
High employee turnover
There is always a reason for employees leaving the company one after another continuously. Either it is because of some personal reasons or the company’s working environment.
However, not everyone leaves because of issues in their personal life. If that is the case with the company you are joining, then it is a sign of toxic workplace culture.
If employee turnover is high, find out the causes. It might be due to low compensation, work-life imbalance, overtime, lack of appreciation and growth opportunities, and so on. If employees aren’t getting the ideal environment they need, then they tend to leave the company.
High employee turnover is a red flag for you.
Increasing stress and burnout
Sleep deprivation and lack of rest can be some of the reasons for increased stress and burnout. However, if workload pressure is affecting your sleep quality, then find out ways to mitigate it.
The main reason for stress and burnout is a heavy workload and overtime with no quality rest and sleep. If you are constantly under work pressure, more and more tasks keep piling up, without any breaks, then try to talk it out with the management and find ways to manage a heavy workload. If it doesn’t solve the problem or they don’t care about it, then it is better to think about your situation and leave the company.
The more you take stress because of workload, the more it affects your mental and physical health.
Overtime
Sometimes, urgent matters come, and you need to do overtime. However, if the company makes you work on holidays and after office hours frequently, then these are the signs of toxic workplace culture.
If you are compensated for overtime, then it depends on you whether or not you accept the condition. But, if the company never compensates, then it is better to avoid working with such a firm.
Absence of good leadership
Good leadership inspires people, executes the plan, and achieves goals successfully. They set an example and everybody admires them.
However, if management doesn’t care about its employees’ welfare, is always absent during problems, rarely communicates, never appreciates their employees’ hard work and achievements, etc., then these are the obvious signs of toxic workplace culture.
If superiors are not leading from the front, then employees feel lost and demotivated. The connection that is keeping everyone together will slowly fade away, creating disarray in the company. And this hampers the employees and the company severely.
Lack of respect, blaming others, misuse of powers, and so on reigns in a company because of poor leadership.
Demotivation
Do you feel demotivated and like not going to work every day? Do your colleagues seem unhappy and dissatisfied and talk about quitting their job or show disinterest in working? If it is, then workplace culture might be poor.
When you are working with unmotivated colleagues and vice versa, it disrupts the workflow, creates burdens, miscommunication occurs, and conflicts become common. If this persists for a long time, it will stop your growth and opportunities.
Demotivation may occur because of several reasons mentioned above. Before it hurts you, do something about it.
Absence of work-life balance
If you are experiencing too much work pressure, then it leads to stress and burnout. You won’t be able to do any task in the office nor spend quality time at home with your family.
If a company isn’t taking care of its employees, isn’t giving some time off from work even during holidays, or isn’t trying to find out why their employees are demotivated, then it is the main reason for poor workplace culture.
No matter what, you have to dedicate yourself to work from 9 to 5 unless it is an emergency. However, if you are getting calls and emails from the office after work hours and during holidays, which is affecting your relationships, then it is time to rethink about your current workplace.
If a company is the main reason for work-life imbalance, then it is best to avoid such a working environment.
In Conclusion
A toxic workplace ruins the employees’ careers and stops their growth. So, if you are stuck in such an environment, observe it for some time. If you feel like the company culture isn’t ideal for you, then it is best to avoid it.
However, quitting isn’t always the best option. You might always find some flaws in companies you work with. Try to find the root cause if you are having any trouble and look for ways to solve it. What matters most is to be true to yourself. Dedication and hard work will pay off one day.
The final decision will always be yours for choosing the right working environment or avoiding it.
Have you ever been to toxic workplace culture? If yes, we would love to hear about your experience on how you dealt with it.
And if you are looking for a development partner to work on your ideas, then please feel free to reach us. Truemark Technology is a software company with 5+ years of experience. Since its establishment, it has been helping businesses to scale with just the right product they need without compromising on quality. If you have any great ideas, Truemark will help you make them a reality. So, contact us at any time.
Cover Image Credits: Macrovector from Freepik
