Back on track, and as promised, more on toxic work environments. It is a chicken-and-egg question of whether toxic leaders create toxic workplaces or toxic workplaces attract toxic leaders. In either case, the outcome is always harmful to employees.
Signs of a toxic work environment are:
Leaders who are either emotionally distanced or extremely reactive and emotionally explosive
Leaders who set unreasonable expectations and unattainable goals
Leaders who cannot move beyond firefighting mode. They are continuously sucked into the crisis du jour focusing on short-term tactical issues and offering Band-Aid solutions.
Leaders who express lack of empathy and support. They manipulate others to ensure they look great at the expense of others.
Leaders who engage in disrespectful behaviors. They talk down to others and belittle them. They berate others and dish out unwarranted and unproductive criticism often in public or by spreading rumors.
Leaders who do not walk the talk. Their actions do not match the corporate values and brand messages. They pursue short-term profits at the expense of doing the right thing consistently.
Leaders who pit coworkers against each other playing favorites and giving a select few preferential treatment over others.
Leaders who lie. They show a complete disregard for the truth. They deliberately withhold information or reinvent the truth.
Leaders who are inconsistent in applying policies. They give different people different answers to same questions. They break promises and dishonor agreements.
Leaders who take no responsibility and avoid accountability. They are quick to point the finger at everyone else blaming circumstances, conditions and other people. It's always someone else's fault.
Employees in toxic workplaces experience:
Chronic high stress: show emotional and physical stress symptoms (www.stress.org/stress-effects/)
Low morale: cynicism, negativity, and sarcasm reign.
High attrition and voluntary turnover: a mass exodus of coworkers voting with their feet seeking better opportunities.
Questions to ask to identify a toxic work environment:
To gauge attrition: How long was the last person in this position, and why did they leave? What is the average tenure of people on the team?
To gauge expectations: how many hours a week does it take realistically to accomplish this job? Would I be expected to be available after hours and on weekends?
To gauge commitment to employees: what are the top 3 organizational challenges and what has leadership done to make things better?
Check the answers against employees’ Glassdoor reviews. If there are too many disgruntled employees, ignore at your own risk.
Unfortunately goodness doesn’t always prevail, and sometimes you need to cut your losses and move on. Yes, quitting is an option. If you report to a liar or in a work environment where senior leaders act with lack of leadership integrity, you are likely to be better off spending your energies on building a new and better future.
If leaving is not an option, I highly recommend Rising above a Toxic Workplace: Taking Care of Yourself in an Unhealthy Environment by Gary Chapman and Paul White.
