Toxic Work Culture, What Now?
Whether it's "quiet quitting", layoffs, rejections, rehires, loving your 9-5, career evolution vs retirement, or workplace mental health (call 988 in the US), the workplace has been in the news a lot lately. A lot of it is a response to toxicity. There are two things that really create a healthy working environment; trust and care.
Working at LinkedIn for the past (almost) three years, I've had a front seat to INCREDIBLE company culture. While we may not be perfect, we’re pretty dang good. For instance, today the whole company focused on caring for our relationships so I hosted a LinkedIn Live with James Campbell and meet a colleague for lunch!
In my time at LinkedIn, I have yet to experience an instance, I’ll say it again, an instance of drama, politics, or social discomfort. Can you say that about your job?
If you can't, that question is not to make anyone feel bad. That's a high bar for any place to meet and I'm sure it's not even true for LinkedIn all the time. But I do want you to think about how often you come in contact with toxic behaviors or environments in the workplace.
Here's a 10-step gut check:
What does your gut say? Still staying? Or headed for the door?
No match is going to be perfect. We are not perfect employees and can't expect our employers to be either. We should and can expect compassion, connection, and a high-quality life outside of work. The biggest thing is to align on values. Does your company's TRUE values (not the ones on paper, but what they really operate by - hopefully there's no difference) match yours?
If everyone at the company is aligned on the mission and values, then you can figure out any arising points of tension. For instance, my personal mission is to: Serve widely, give greatly. LinkedIn focuses on: Providing economic opportunity for the global workforce. I am able to fulfill my mission while completing my work at LinkedIn.
Because the two are cohesive, at the end of my workday, I don't feel like I am unfulfilled. I don't feel that if I want to make a contribution that brings me joy I have to get little sleep, neglect my personal life, and start something totally different on top of my day job. Instead, that alignment brings more joy and allows me to get more out of my life and free time.
[meta-moment] If you don't know what your company's mission is, that could indicate an unclear vision from those leading the charge. If you want to have a mission that all employees can internalize and say verbatim just like I did, listen to this podcast.
Okay, so your day is full of gossip, inflexible policies, discrimination, bias, limited time off, and profit prioritized over people. I’ve heard recent horror stories of managers accusing top performers of lying or directors searching employees' desks for a reason to write them up.
No thank you.
Who buys your product or service? People.
Who do you hire to deliver your product or service? People.
What are you? A person.
Get my point? There’s no one else we are interacting with here. On every level, we should be focused on people. If we focus on people, what do people want? That’s always the billion-dollar question, but let’s keep it simple.
People want love, safety, belonging, basic needs met, and a high-quality life.
What are great companies who care about people providing?
Compensation, benefits, schedule flexibility, opportunities for growth, recognition, psychological safety (no fear someone is looking through your desk or you won't get promoted because of your physical appearance), community, a compelling mission, ample time off, and general trust.
At LinkedIn, I get my work done (and more) when it works for the rest of my life (which allows me to have a life). No one watches over my shoulder, my needs are met, and I have time off to delegate as I see fit. Why is this employee experience a secret sauce?
LinkedIn is creating a kind of loyalty that makes it really hard to leave.
Think about it. Would you rather stay in a relationship that betrays you, drains your energy, and takes you away from other things you love so that once you have time for the other things you are too drained to engage? Or do you want to hang around someone that takes care of you, treats you with respect, fuels you, and you can trust will be there and appreciate you once you come back?
Stability or chaos? Trust or the unknown?
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Keeping good people is theoretically simple. It’s the execution that’s hard.
So you’re stuck in a culture that you don’t feel loyal to and it looks like nothing is going to change. Now what?
aka Don't go to the grocery when you're starving. Junk food is the only thing that will be in that cart. Many people move once things are rolling downhill. Don't do that. Notice the small indicators of negative change ahead of time and plan your next move before you can no longer stand it.
If you're dealing with shady behavior, I suggest not striking back. Personally, just not my style. Instead, show the respect you wish you had (doesn't mean you let people walk over you, there's a balance) and proactively plan your next move.
Ideally, this has 6 months' worth of savings. You might be thinking there is no way you can financially do this. I thought that too a year ago, but I decided to put a small amount away and now I have a stash. This comes in handy when it's time to go, but you don't have something else to jump to.
Search for internal transfer roles, keep your LinkedIn network warm, and add value to others. Start thinking about whom you could ask for referrals. Clean up your resume and LinkedIn profile, and start practicing interviews (if you need any help, DM me. Happy to provide coaching for all three.)
Build an "advisory" board. This can be an unofficial group of people who care about you and whose advice you respect. Write out all the things you've done, the impact they made, and the skills you developed. This will be handy for answering interview questions. My newsletter on Conquering Your Annual Review will tell you how to do this.
If you are in a truly unfortunate case where you are being targeted (such as the few examples above), get everything in writing (email works fine). If it makes sense, CC those who should have visibility to the situation, usually HR or leadership.
I have an active "Working With Me" doc that outlines things people may want to know to effectively work with me. I have fun things like my hobbies, personal things like my strengths and weaknesses, and professional things like my working hours. Communicate how you work and how you prefer others to work with you. Respect these for yourself as well. If you say you don't work after 5, then don't work after 5. I'm still working on keeping my boundaries with myself, but all you can do is keep practicing.
Get to meet people up and down and side-to-side within the company. This can paint a more accurate picture of what the company is like as a whole. It can open up new opportunities, it can help when your manager is not providing the support you need, and it can queue you into upcoming reorgs which may or may not impact your work environment.
Sometimes, it's just time to go. If you move on ensure your next job aligns with your values. Ask the next company questions about their culture during the interviews. Set your boundaries (pay, time off, benefits, hours, location) and share them in the interview. Take a job you're going to love.
For more opinions on what makes a great company culture, especially for people with disabilities, check out the latest episode of the Opportunity Made Podcast, featuring James Campbell .
Now, here comes the fine print....
Not all jobs are created equal. Sometimes it's actually better to tough out a not-so-great environment if:
I've worked many jobs that were not the greatest, but I always strived to learn something from them. It's okay to not love your job when it makes you uncomfortable in an way that spurs growth. Eras of deep career growth don't always come with free food and bean bags.
And sometimes we get more out when we put more in. Is there more you can do to lift others up? Can you take on a leadership role? Do you have a mindset or attitude that needs to be changed? Are you getting in your own way for something greater?
I recently learned a bit more about mindset shifts through Reshma's book: Brave, Not Perfect. Give it a read, Say Yes to Opportunities, do a gut check, and if you make the leap, share your story! How did it go? Do you need help?
Follow me on LinkedIn. Happy to review resumes, help with interview prep, or look over a LinkedIn profile or two.
Serve widely, give greatly & take care y'all!