How can you spot toxicity in the workplace?

two women talking at work about toxic work culture

Low morale – no one smiles, no one ever seems happy or says hello or good morning or goodbye when they walk in or out of the office or in virtual meetings. Heads are down and no one speaks.

Poor or no communication – you may feel you are being left out of the loop and there is very little advice given on the work you are doing and there is absolutely no feedback or if there is, it is always negative.

Having a boss who is a bully – when a boss makes you feel like you are lucky to be there, or when they are totally controlling and won’t listen to new ideas or when a boss expects you to come into work even when something bad is happening in your life. 

Policies over people – sometimes a policy just doesn’t apply to a situation. 

High employee turnover – this speaks for itself and can be due to a combination of all the previous reasons leading to a toxic culture.

Cliques and groups – these can be very upsetting and you can feel ostracised, left out, made to feel you are the one employee who doesn’t fit in and often these groups will blame you for some mistakes happening on the job. 

People in middle management are just figure heads – where middle management have had no management training, don’t know how to run a team, and often make mistakes that they will not admit to and don’t know how to communicate.

Further reading:

Alexandra Lichtenfeld - a workplace wellbeing specialist for 87% and business mentor who works with business owners, senior management teams and entrepreneurs changing the face of employee wellbeing, getting the best out of their business practices and employees.

Alexandra Lichtenfeld

A workplace wellbeing specialist for 87% and business mentor who works with business owners, senior management teams and entrepreneurs changing the face of employee wellbeing, getting the best out of their business practices and employees.

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How can you go about changing toxicity in the workplace?

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What is toxicity in the workplace?