Vibe Check Practice

Volcanic ash is toxic just like how some people or workplace is.

A little volcanic ash and carbon dioxide wont harm us but being in the same environment for prolonged periods of time can make us sick.

Toxic

“That’s how it has always been done.” Don’t question the system. Many of us might have heard that while working and sometimes it’s not the system that fails us but the people who fail us. One day your co-worker is singing praises about your work and the next day he is telling on your boss how your work is disastrous, and he had to redo everything.

 I’m sure most of us have worked in a toxic workplace or have toxic co-workers, or hell, maybe even worked in a place that is toxic inside out. How do we deal with these toxicities? Do we leave? Should we fight? If we run away from this toxicity, will there be another toxic workplace waiting for us?

Signs of toxicity

Some of us might feel “is it just me, or is every workplace the same?” So how do we determine if it is workplace toxicity?

1. Poor or bad communication

2. Poor leadership

3. Exclusions and formations of cliques

4. High turnover rates

5. No work-life balance

6. No forward movement

7. Stifled growth

8. Feeling burnt out

9. Unmotivated co-workers

10. Your gut is telling you to LEAVE

A toxic work culture builds within mistrust, selfishness, gossips, cliques and hostilities. It is also a breeding ground for dysfunction due to power struggles, negativity, and abusive leadership. All of the above would lead the employee to feel emotionally drained and reduces their loyalty to the company.

Rising awareness on mental health

Thanks to the rising awareness on mental health, more people are aware of the risks of staying in a toxic workplace and that usually weighs more on their mental health than being unemployed. Recent data analytics also reveal that more employees are quitting their jobs due to workplace culture and not due to a low pay.

Burnout

Hustle culture, which is commonly seen in countries like Japan and Taiwan, is normalized in the workplace. Employees are expected to work beyond their office hours and it is sometimes even an embarrassment to leave work on time as it paints a picture that you are not working hard enough. The workaholic lifestyle has been glamorized by making employees think that they are being more productive when they put in more hours. However, this stretches employees thin, forgoing breaks, personal life, and their mental health. This eventually leads to burnout.

Top-down management

Authoritative culture is filled with favouritism, nepotism and yes (wo)men. Have you heard of stories from your friends that their boss favours male/ female and treats them differently? Yes, it is still happening in this day and age. In authoritative cultures, leaders do not respect opinions and ideas of employees, hence making them feel small, less valued and dejected in the organization. It’s not until the changes are made then the employees know what is happening.

Fight or Flight?

It is truly exhausting if you had to experience all the above and so you might be thinking, what’s next? Should I fight it? If you choose this option, here’s what you can do.

• Set strong work-life balance (Know your boundaries)
• Stay focused on important goals
• Build a network of trusted co-workers (exclude the toxic ones)
• Practice how to confront (helps with stressful one-on-one interactions)
• Find ways to relieve stress

Some personal tricks from me:

I try to schedule meet-ups with friends and family over the weekend and we will just have fun and forget about work. To get through the weekdays, I would have to lend help from Netflix/ Disney+ or maybe get a cup of bubbletea. Of course, the healthier ways to pull through weekdays is to exercise and this really helps me as exercising releases endorphins which trigger a positive feeling in our body.

What if you choose to take flight? Go ahead! If the toxicity level is of hazardous levels then yes please leave. If you are constantly thinking of leaving the company and dragging your legs to work, your body and soul is telling you to LEAVE.

If you’ve made up your mind to leave, here are some points to note because sometimes it is easier said than done to really leave when you have a boss acting up about you leaving.

• Be prepared (have your resignation letter printed and signed with your last day clearly specified)
• Say no (know that you can say no if they try to convince you to stay)
• Stay calm

Hope that you are now able to identify whether you have a toxic workplace or a toxic co-worker, both of which I wish you won’t encounter! If you are considering leaving a toxic work environment, just so you know, you are amazing and you deserve a happy workplace!

Always here for you, cheers people!

Never fear leaving a toxic environment. Be true and caring to yourself. Trust there is peace and positivity out there.

Brendon burchard

Corlissa Seah, Counsellor & Founder of Vibe Check Practice
Providing online therapy to support mental health and well-being

Book an appointment with us using this link!