If these 4 things are happening at your office, then your workplace is certified toxic

Not just relationships and friendships, even your workplace can be toxic and hamper your mental health
yoga poses for office
If your workplace is not conducive to growth, then it can be very well toxic. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Grace Bains Published: 25 Jul 2020, 12:47 pm IST
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Come to think of it, we spend the majority of our time in the day interacting with our colleagues. For most of us, our career is extremely important and we give our best to our work in order to achieve our goals. Our work not only occupies most of our day but also most of our mind space.

Good work culture will give way to good mental health which will further enable us to perform well professionally. However, a toxic work environment won’t just affect the mental health negatively, it will also create hurdles for us in terms of achieving the goals we want. Hence, it is important to realize when a work environment is toxic in order to take steps towards healthier mental health as well as a successful professional life.

Here are four signs that could point to the fact that you’re working in a toxic culture:

1. Your workplace is bustling with cliques
If your office has too many cliques, it could point to something toxic. Such set-ups often bring about exclusionary behaviour that might affect not just your mental health but your professional growth as well.

Unfortunately, groups in offices often also give way to office politics as well as favouritism. An official space where politics thrives can often be taxing on the mind and pull you down professionally. Moreover, it also gives way to office drama which only hinders productivity, interfering in the development of a conducive work environment for all. If your office has been reminding you of how high school functioned, it might be time to leave.

anxiety
Don’t let your anxiety bring you down! Image courtesy: Shutterstock

2. There are no prospects of growth for you
Everyone is working in order to succeed in life. We all have certain professional goals we want to reach, be it a certain designation or a particular pay package. When it comes to toxic workplaces, you might feel stagnant in terms of professional growth.

It becomes worse when you talk to the upper management or HR but there’s not much result or even clarity on the professional trajectory that the organisation can offer you. Worse still, you might be made to feel like you are asking for too much in spite of having worked extremely hard in order to facilitate growth.

If you find yourself in this peculiar professional situation, you have to remind yourself that you work in order to achieve your goals and if you feel stagnated, then it is time to rethink things.

3. Your colleagues seem to be quitting left, right, and centre
This is probably one of the biggest red flags. If you’ve just joined and notice that a lot of colleagues are serving their notice period, it points to a toxic work culture. Leaving a job is a big decision and takes a lot of thought before someone decides to put in their papers.

People do switch organisations throughout their careers but if it happens in big numbers at a particular organisation, it is time to figure out why. The reasons could range from unsatisfactory work culture to bad leadership, but it all boils down to the fact that people are mentally affected enough to leave their source of livelihood.

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Also, read: Those long work-from-home hours are not good for your mental health

4. Most of your team members are unmotivated
Everyone finds themselves tired once in a while, but if you see that most of your team is simply unmotivated, it could mean that they don’t feel appreciated or a lack of growth is disincentivizing them from giving a hundred percent to their careers.

This could eventually translate into you having to shoulder the burden of work. Moreover, just like motivated colleagues can inspire you to perform better, unmotivated colleagues can pull your performance down.

If you relate to these points, take a step back and take the right decision for your mental health as well as your professional life.

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About the Author

Grace is someone who likes writing enough to make a living out of it. When she isn’t writing, you will find her having chai and reading a book. ...Read More

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