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“Hi, my name is Chelsea and I’m a toxic workplace survivor.” What’s your name? If you’ve landed on this article, I’m happy you’re here. At the same time, I’m also sad that you’re here. Why? Because I believe that no one deserves to have to deal with toxic work environments. After spending years bouncing around from one toxic workplace culture to the next, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to recognize the signs of a toxic work culture and how to avoid toxic work environments. In this article, I’m going to share the top 5 lessons toxic work environments taught me.

As a Career Coach, I now help professionals land high-paying, fulfilling, and exciting roles in healthy and safe work environments all over the world.

In an effort to raise awareness about the realities of toxic work environments, I created a docuseries that highlights the experiences, lessons learned, and triumphs of toxic workplace survivors across the world. It is my hope that this series uplifts, motivates, and encourages you to break free from the toxic workplace you are in.

Check out the docuseries, Exposed: Toxic Workplace Stories across the globe.

If you take the time to watch the series, please make sure to like, subscribe, and share. Your support allows me to continue creating helpful career content for you!

Now let’s get to the lessons I learned throughout the years.

Top 5 Lessons Toxic Work Environments Taught Me

Lesson 1: Trust your gut

As humans, we’re often raised to seek validation and approval from others. Often stemming from childhood, we grow up and continue to seek validation throughout our careers. During the early stages of my career, I often found myself asking for my feelings to be validated only to be met with phrases such as;

“You’re being too sensitive.”

“Stop taking things so personally.”

“You’re overreacting.”

“Be grateful that you have a good-paying job with good benefits.”

The reality is, no one can validate your feelings for you. They are YOUR feelings. The truth is, just because others can tolerate inappropriate behavior doesn’t mean that you have to.

Also, when interviewing for roles, I would often experience red flags and an uneasy feeling in my gut. Instead of trusting my gut, I went against it to “land the job” or “land the higher pay.”

Our guts are there to help us protect ourselves from danger and situations that do not serve us. If at any point you get a tingling feeling in your gut during the application, interviewing, and onboarding process, you need to listen and trust yourself.

For example, I interviewed at a company that had the type of position, salary, and recognition that I wanted. The interview process was disorganized, the panel was disrespectful, and the vibe seemed off when I walked through the door.

I remember leaving that interview and thinking “What is wrong with those people?” When they offered me the job, I ignored my gut feelings and took the role because it was my dream role. Fast forward, 30 days into the role, it was a nightmare! As I initially thought, the toxic culture was wildly inappropriate. I couldn’t leave fast enough. To be transparent, it took me 9 months before landing a new role simply because I had to get over the shock of what happened to me.

The moral of the story is, trust your gut!

Lesson 2: “Leader” does not mean “acceptable.”

Being in a leadership role is not a free pass to disrespect others in the organization. Early in my career, I was always taught to follow the chain of command, respect my elders, and bow down to authority. I can tell that other professionals have been taught the same… unfortunately.

Often toxic environments are created due to poor leadership. In one role, the Vice President was known for making everyone’s life a living hell. Literally! She thrived off of embarrassing others, public humiliation, name-calling, belittling, and physically intimidating her staff.

When I asked why no one said anything to her, the response was always, “She’s the Vice President!” Her lack of respect led to creating a corporate culture that embraced office gossip, negative behaviors, and low employee morale. 

Just because someone has a higher-ranking title, doesn’t mean you have to tolerate abusive behavior. If the leadership team exhibits toxic behavior, it will often trickle down and become the norm when it comes to behavior throughout the organization.

A title, higher pay, and status doesn’t make someone better than you. Do not be afraid to speak up and ask for respect. If they refuse to give it to you, it’s time to move on.

Lesson 3: Old-school career advice is wrong!

I no longer believe in the career advice that I was told by career gurus, coaches, supervisors, and mentors. You know the ones like,

“You have to stay in a new job for at least a year.”

“Job hopping will ruin your career.”

“You don’t go to work for the people, you go to make a living.”

“Keep your head down and don’t make a scene.”

“You need to be loyal to the company you work for.”

As a Resume Writer and Career Coach, I can confidently tell you that these types of career advice will only keep you stuck, second-guessing yourself, and keep you feeling isolated.

You need to make decisions that you can live with. Preferably ones that will bring you peace, joy, and satisfaction. Sometimes that means quitting in less than a year, job hopping, and side hustling so that you always have options.

After primarily coaching job hoppers and career changers, I will openly admit that after encouraging them to make decisions based on their needs (not others), they are happier, feel freer, and are in better positions today.

Lesson 4: The only option that matters is yours!

Spending time in toxic work environments taught me that life is short and fragile. I was often surrounded by talented colleagues who believed that they couldn’t do better. This resulted in them forming depression, anxiety, gaining weight, and struggling with health issues.

Yes! Stress can cause illness. I watched many of my coworkers develop lifelong illnesses which unfortunately forced them to either retire early or transition. There is no job on this planet that is worth losing your life or health.

With that said, you don’t need to justify your career decisions to anyone. You don’t need to impress anyone else. Finally, you don’t need to answer to anyone, but yourself!

Quitting your job or changing careers can be alarming for the people closest to you. You may even hear opinions and judgmental remarks from your colleagues, supervisors, family, and friends. Ignore them. Why? They don’t have to walk in your shoes every day. You do! Make peace with your decision and be proud of yourself for making decisions that are best for you!

Lesson 5: No job is worth your mental health

If you’ve worked or are working in a toxic environment, you have most likely experienced some form of gaslighting. Working long hours to prove yourself, being disrespected, having your work questioned, and feeling disappointed regarding your job can take a toll on your mental health.

The decline of your mental health can last long-term if you don’t have the proper support or resources. At the end of the day, you have to live with you. The company will always remain standing, but if you continue to work there, will you?

In my opinion, there is no title, salary, perks, or benefits that are worth your mental, physical, and emotional health.

One of the biggest hurdles when it comes to dealing with a toxic work environment is being able to confidently recognize when you’re in one. If you have time, I encourage you to watch Exposed: Toxic Workplace Stories across the globe. In this series, everyday professionals highlight signs of toxic work environments and share actions they took to escape.

In the meantime, I’m also going to share the top 10 signs of a toxic work environment below.

Bonus: Signs of a toxic workplace

There are many warning signs of toxic work environments and this is not a list that highlights every single sign. The most important thing you need to remember is this, you define toxic! What is toxic for you may not be toxic for someone else and that’s ok. Know your limits and move accordingly. Below are the top 10 most common signs of a toxic work environment.

Lack of Trust

Trust is the foundation of all relationships, including the relationship between you and your employer.  If there’s a lack of trust between employees and management or between colleagues, it can indicate a toxic workplace.

Poor Communication

Regular miscommunication, a lack of transparency, lack of communication, or hidden information contributes to a toxic work environment. When communication breaks down, it leads to confusion, frustration, and misunderstandings.

Excessive Micromangement

Having someone constantly looking over your shoulder, questioning your work, and critiquing everything you do can take a toll on your confidence and mental health. Constant monitoring, excessive control, and micromanagement can make you undervalued and hinder your productivity. It also reflects a lack of trust in employees’ abilities.

High Turnover Rates

High turnover is a major sign of a toxic workplace. If people are leaving the organization frequently, it may indicate that the work environment is not conducive to employee satisfaction and growth. Pay attention to how many people are leaving or talking about leaving. Also, don’t be afraid to ask about the percentage of turnover during the interview process.

Lack of Work-Life Balance

Working around the clock is not the norm nor is it a badge of honor. When a company doesn’t support work-life balance and expects employees to be available 24/7 or regularly work overtime, it can quickly lead to burnout and take a toll on your well-being. A healthy employer will encourage you to enjoy your personal life outside of work. 

Workplace Bullying or Harassment

Any form of bullying, harassment, or discrimination within the workplace is a clear sign of toxicity. It creates a hostile work environment that contributes to low morale. Name-calling, yelling, and verbal assaults or a strong indicator of a toxic environment.

Unfair Treatment

If there’s a consistent pattern of favoritism, biased decision-making, or unequal opportunities for growth and development, this can breed toxicity amongst team members. This can also quickly lead to competition and sabotaging behaviors.

Lack of Recognition

In a toxic workplace, employees’ efforts and achievements may go unnoticed or unappreciated. The absence of recognition and rewards can demotivate employees and lead to disengagement.

Constant Stress and Pressure

If the work environment includes an excessive amount of stress, unrealistic deadlines, or constant pressure, it can result in chronic stress, anxiety, and decreased productivity. This is not normal or reasonable.

Lack of Support of Resources

When employees don’t receive the necessary support, tools, or resources to perform their jobs effectively, it creates frustration and hampers their ability to succeed, contributing to a toxic workplace.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, workplace toxicity, bad leadership, and toxic coworkers are a reality of the workplace today. I have to admit, you may experience these signs a few times during your career. It is normal because no work environment is perfect. The difference between a great employer and a toxic one is the fact that these signs happen on a regular basis.

I want you to remember that you are amazing, worthy, and capable of finding a place of work that appreciates, celebrates, and respects you! The good news is, you have everything you need in you to land in a healthy work environment that fosters a positive work culture. All you have to do is take the next step. The first step is trusting yourself. From there keep a positive attitude, and ask for support from your network. 

Cheers to your success, you got this!

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