Do You Work in a Toxic Environment?

Dear Susan, I work in a toxic work environment, and it's affecting my mental health. What steps can I take to cope with the stress and improve the overall atmosphere at the office?

Signed,

Stressed in Lincoln NE

Dear Stressed,

Stress kills. Maybe not today, or even tomorrow, but it has a cumulative effect thanks to your vagus nerve, and the stress-producing hormones which impact organs and systems within your body. And yes, stress can affect your mental health in addition to your physical health!? It sounds like your body has been sending you signals that the toxicity is taking a toll. I am glad you are listening.?

While you are exploring the ideas below to reduce the cause of your stress, you might also consider the tips from the American Psychological Association for coping with stress in the workplace.?

Every organization has a culture which includes its norms.

Forbes says these include how teams communicate, share, interact and coordinate. In addition to the organization’s culture, there are also mini cultures belonging to each team. These mini cultures can be unique little pockets of utopia, or places that no one wants to be, and both can exist regardless of the positive or negative overarching culture of the organization. My response will focus just on your team’s culture.?

I would love to ask you more questions about the team leader’s awareness and role in the environment. While the team leader is an influencer and the “keeper” of the team’s culture, the team itself can influence and even work to transform a culture also.

This can be tricky business, so you will have to ask yourself if it is worth the effort, or if it is time to take your talent elsewhere.? If successful your role as an informal leader will not go unnoticed. Perhaps you will be recruited at some point for an actual leadership role.?

But, I will also warn you: in a very toxic culture, being a self-appointed change agent can also backfire causing bullying-like behavior. I hope to help you avoid that phenomenon.?

In working with teams, I have consistently noticed one key thing:

Teams that are toxic, always seem to have an internal focus.

They are focused on petty squabbles, jealousy, and each other. In healthy teams, the focus is external. The team is zoomed out on how it can better serve the customer, how it can improve its product or service, how it can offer more value, etc.?

So, a big goal is to shift the focus. A team meeting can be a useful tool. I hope your team has some regular way to meet to track progress, discuss issues and needs. You can use this meeting to try and shift the conversation to projects and outcomes. Keep your comments and questions focused externally.?

Questions are a great tool, but they can also be weaponized. Try to pack some humility into your questions. Use question stems such as: “I am not sure about this, but does anyone know if…or, I am probably doing this incorrectly, but when I try to….or, I could be wrong, but I’ve noticed…. “ Try to position your questions so that your team can be the expert. Come to the meeting prepared and having written out and practiced (outloud) some questions that can shift the focus outward.?

It will also be important to manage your own body language.

Some of us are great at not having a visible reaction to a negative comment, but not all of us. Often, we are unaware that we have these reactions that can be so easily seen by others. You might ask your family or close friends for feedback on your non-verbal reactions.?

To work on body language, I suggest books written by a great SME on this topic, Carol Kinsey-Goman. You can also get some quick tips in this interview with Carol ?as she discusses her book: “The Non-Verbal Advantage.”

So far, we have been talking about what you can do as a team influencer. Earlier I mentioned the significance of the team leader. If you have a good relationship with this person, you could discuss the impact the culture is having on you, without making it sound like you are “telling” on anyone. Be sure to indicate that you are concerned about the entire team’s health, and the impact of this culture on your team leader as well.?

Should you feel that this kind of conversation is possible, given your relationship with the leader, I also suggest that you bring a few ideas to the table for the leader’s consideration.?

Deliver your suggestions with the same humility we discussed for posing questions. This may not work, but have you considered … or, I wonder what would happen if… or, there is probably a better way to approach this, but one possibility is ….etc.?

Leading and teaming effectively is more of an art than an exact science.

There is no book or resource out there with “the answers.” If these suggestions work for you and your team, fabulous! If you are uncomfortable with these suggestions, or you find you have limited success, please put your health first. Sometimes, just the act of doing a job search can help you to feel empowered to attempt some of the actions suggested here, knowing you DO have other options.?

If you do choose to move on, remember that you are interviewing the prospective employer, just as they are interviewing you. You now understand how important culture is to you. Be sure to prepare questions that allow you to get a sneak preview of what it is like to work as part of the prospective team.?

As Always,

Susan Stamm