13 | 4 signs you may be in an unhealthy work environment

"What keeps me here?"

Have you ever taken a moment of self-reflection to ask yourself why you are working at the organization you contribute towards? It can be easy to move through the days and weeks by focusing on the tasks and projects you are assigned, but you can miss the opportunities to ask yourself, "why am I here?"

It is clear from data gen z wants meaning in their life, including in their work. Integrated with purpose-driven work is possessing a healthy work environment.

Let's be honest. You probably spend more time with your coworkers than with any other group of people if you work in the office. Even if you find yourself working from home, the culture of where you work matters. A lot. And if you are not constantly assessing your workplace, it can be easy to fall into a situation where you are trapped in an unhealthy culture with no way out.

As followers of Jesus, we can rest assured He knows what is best for us and we know He has called us to the Light for the world we currently reside. He also can use the moments of hardship you may be in at work and redeem them for His purposes in your story.

Ever find yourself wondering, "am I in an unhealthy work environment?" Or perhaps you are not in one, but you've always wondering what would be the signs of an unhealthy work environment? I've put together five signs of an unhealthy work environment below and I hope the explanations are helpful for you as you assess your current situation in your work!

The leaders are all about "Me" not "We"

This looks like decision rights being reserved for only the top leaders. You have responsibilities, but there is no freedom to make important decisions. I understand executives need to provide direction and decisions for some things, but it shouldn't involve making decisions at every level of the organization. Collaboration is nonexistent. You find yourself alone in your work, and your leader is never making what is important to you important to them. Your direct leader may never choose to ask how they can help you and instead, he or she is demanding more production without any care for you as a person.

The truth stays in hiding

All healthy organizations are built on healthy teams. Healthy teams consist of people who trust each other. Trust is generally built through honesty and transparency. Do you witness people hiding the reality of the situation in meetings, but reveal what's really happening in private sidebar conversations? Is gossip passed around more than encouragement? Be on the lookout and aware if the truth stays in hiding. This could be caused by a lack of trust within teams or by a culture of fear reinforced by leadership.

People leave in droves

In the last few months, you've noticed more people leaving than usual. More importantly, the people leaving are not proactively being celebrated by leadership. Furthermore, there isn't much light shed on why they left. Unfortunately, if the people are on your team, you are left to pick up the slack which can be exhausting.

What's written on the wall isn't practiced inside the walls

You may have values written on the walls or stated at all team meetings. Values like "integrity, innovation, and teamwork" to name a few examples. However, when you come to work each day, you sense these values not being practiced or reinforced in the decisions within the organization. Additionally, you notice people not being recognized for exemplifying

No boundaries

You never sense like you're away from work. Your leader seems to always be in your business, sending you messages or emails during non work hours with the expectation that you need to respond asap. Your personal time is not respected and you don't feel supported or empowered to have a life outside of work.