6 signs you’re in a toxic job

Not everybody loves going to work in the morning but there is a difference to not wanting to go to work and dealing with a toxic work environment.

I’m not just talking about immoral or illegal activities and physical danger; those are bad and you should get out now! I’m talking about the unfairness, mentally abusive boss, poisonous co-workers or just plain annoying.

I recently took a part-time job within my field of health & wellness. I have my own business but I wanted to gain some more experience working for somebody else, hoping to have some great learnings and career development.

I was so excited by the opportunity; I think I had my eyes wide shut because I missed all the signs that this was going to be a terribly toxic environment.

Despite the terrible pay, horrible working hours, and silence in the office; this was a great opportunity for me. I noticed quickly the culture was less than desirable with immense differences to what I was used to, so I had some adjusting to do.

I could see this was not a job I would stay in for many years to come but I tried to make the most of the situation.

Stripped from all autonomy, creativeness, individual contribution, collaboration or input into anything; it seemed I had to fall into line with a lack of personality. Without effective communication, it was impossible to work together and accomplish the tasks required.

I managed to hold out in this position for almost 3 months before I decided I just couldn’t do it anymore.

I was literally having to change who I was and my ethics; just so I could keep working at this job that was supposed to be to advancing my career.

Toxic jobs and the unhealthy environment is not worth it; so here are 6 signs of a toxic work environment to watch out for:

Lack of Transparency or Feedback

Sometimes it’s not clear to us how our performance is measured and this sets us up to fail. I was told there were KPI’s we had to meet but it was never clear exactly what these were when I started and how it affected the apparent ‘commission’ which never seemed to come my way.

I was proactive about seeking out feedback and trying to align my priorities with my boss’s but I received no feedback and a dismissive or shut down response. It’s very hard to have a trusting relationship and mutual respect when there is little communication about objectives and expectations.

Narcissists Boss

There are some bosses that think they can do no wrong – beware! Narcissism is sometime cloaked in the characteristics that is sometimes associated with leadership.

Let me assure you; there was no leadership within this job as I would have taken that over a boss who thinks the rules don’t apply to them. They don’t see any issues with demanding near-perfection from you, even though they are not meeting those high standards themselves. Your either with them or against them as a disagreement is a defection.

Trust me when I say – it is impossible to make a narcissist happy!

Inconsistent Rulebook

It doesn’t take long before a one-man mutiny fires up with a lack of basic fairness. In this case, there were two - myself and another new starter. We would get scolded for the same behaviour as everyone else that worked there, while they were praised. While the other new starter seemed somewhat worried to question anything; I did try to find out what we had done and ask for feedback on how we should be doing it. With a sense of favouritism amongst employees, resentment starts to kick in.

With the boss laying down the law and doesn’t both adhering to the rules; it seems to be more about obedience, power and maintaining control than the actual rules.

Gossip between boss and employees

Now I know everyone gossips in an office but I’m talking about an unprofessional boss gossiping about an employee behind their back to another employee.

You would never hear from the boss that you had done something specific that they were angry or gossiping about. I would start a shift and someone would start talking about something they had heard from the boss. Or I would hear them behind a closed office door talking about myself and the other new starter and what she didn’t like. Never did they boss talk to us directly or give us any construction feedback.

This kind of atmosphere is not fun for employees and engaging in negative gossip ends up hurting the business’s bottom line.

Contagious sickness

The place was sick, literally! A truly toxic workplace leads to employee fatigue, burnout and just being extremely ill all the time. I can honestly say; I had not been that unwell in many years, if ever and the sickness from the negative environment in the office was literally contagious. You’ll be surprised how we start to mimic our environment and people around us.

Various studies show that bosses who are unfair, hypercritical, hostile or harassing nature can be extremely bad for your body. It can lead to immune deficiencies, leading to catching every bug that is going around, digestive problems, anxiety, sleeping problems, depression, high blood pressure, overeating and create havoc on your overall health & wellbeing.

What's more, the longer you work with a bad boss, the worse the health effects become.

Changing your idea of normal

After working in a dysfunctional negative work environment for a while, you start to lose sight of how bad things are; forgetting how horrified you were when you started.

Over time, it makes it difficult for you to recognise how bad your working conditions are; this will make your less inclined to start looking for another job.

If you do start looking for a new job, it can make it hard to screen for a functional workplace with a good manager and you can end up repeating the cycle.

In the long run these jobs slow our professional growth. Even if you like your job or think it’s a great opportunity; having a boss that isn’t a great leader or you don’t get along with will hold you back.

Your boss had a huge about of control over your career and a bad boss is less likely to champion you or give you the opportunities you deserve.

The longer you stay in a toxic job, the more likely you will need to use that boss as a reference in the future. The longer you stay in your job, they deeper the problems become.

‘Scientific research shows that compared to those who remained unemployed, people who moved into poor quality jobs began to have adverse health effects.’

Being unemployed is better for your health than having a toxic job; take that into consideration when you start to feel the weight of your toxic job.