Part II of II: 7 signs you're in a toxic workplace

This is the second - and final - part of the toxic workplace article I published a few weeks ago.

My take on the additional toxic workplace traits are (cue drum roll, please)...

5. Culture clash. Often the people who are hired are clearly mismatched to the   job or the organisational culture. Friends of senior execs bypass the conventional recruitment process. These friends are hired because, hey, research shows we like people who are similar to us. Suddenly you find yourself forced into accepting a newbie whose entitlement mentality has tainted them from the start.

6. Stalin is on staff. Fiercely intelligent with a great capacity for evil, Stalin is a metaphor. There’s often a Stalin-like figure in many businesses. They may not have a senior role, but they wield power and influence through years of service and competence. Over time, others have learned to distrust this political powerhouse and manipulation maestro. Sadly, too often management trusts that Stalin has the company's best interests at heart, oblivious to the harm being caused.  

7. Leader-led loopiness. This is an individual who is the antithesis of what a leader should be. He is only looking out for number one—his prime motivation being the pursuit of power and money. Untrustworthy, cheating on partners and just every other stakeholder, and gossiping about one team member to another. He erodes boundaries by 'befriending' one or two employees, creating anxiety for those who are excluded. Employees are encouraged to inform on one another, creating a hyper-competitive dog-eat-dog culture. This loopy behaviour filters down the ranks. Pretty soon, it becomes part of the culture. Run a mile when "it's just how things are done around here," becomes a tagline. 

It's the classic chicken and egg scenario. Do toxic leaders create toxic workplaces or do toxic workplaces attract toxic leaders? In either case, they go hand in hand.

These so-called leaders are narcissists. They think they make or break the organisation and are the best thing since sliced bread. Delusional, they view themselves as more talented than anyone else. Manipulative and powered by their self-serving interest, they have a zero care factor for others and will stop at nothing to make themselves look good.   

"A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights."
Napoleon Bonaparte

While these leaders may initially appear to be 'successful', their damaging attitudes and inappropriate actions will bite them in the proverbial in the long run. Through single-handedly obliterating trust and teamwork, the sky high turnover rate in their areas will eventually erode the health of the entire organisation.

A toxic workplace damages the physical and mental health of its employees. Employees may have symptoms such as insomnia, weight gain or chronic stress. Some may become depressed, irritable and exhibit anger management issues. 

When people outside of your workplace notice you've changed or seem stressed, it's time to take a cold hard look at what's going on. 

You are not a spectator incapable of taking action.

Life is short. And there's certainly more to it than where you work. 

Conduct a self-assessment, identify what you will and won't tolerate, determine your options, weigh up the pros and cons and finally... make a choice. 

Who's worked in a toxic workplace and survived to tell the tale? Feel free to share your experiences by commenting below. 

“Get TOUGH. Mental and spiritual toughness go together. Deepen your commitment to your most essential values and mentally rehearse the specific ways you can take positive action.”
G Chapman

Like what you read? More of my musings below...

• 8 reasons why being a change manager makes you mentally tough
• Servant leadership's role in imparting change
• 10 leadership lessons from the front line of policing
• 5 infuriating stakeholders and how to deal with them
• Leveraging the ambivert advantage
• 5 ways change management increases organisational 'health'