Toxic Workplace?

We often hear about a phenomenon named, “Toxic Workplace”. The term toxic workplace is used to describe a work environment that feels so poisonous to the people working in it, that they sometimes literally become sick. It makes a powerful image, and a strong statement.

But how useful is this concept? One of the marks of a toxic environment is that it is difficult, maybe impossible, to remediate.  That is a pretty bleak outlook, and in my opinion, an entirely inaccurate one. Rather than thinking about really difficult workplaces as being “toxic”, let’s think of them as being sick. Just like in living organisms, organizational organisms can continue to function, even when ill. Illness is unpleasant… but it is also usually curable, and it’s always treatable.

So forget about that “Toxic Workplace”. Put that term in a box, and seal it shut. And if your workplace is sick, see the right specialist to get that illness treated. Start with your HR generalists. They know about this sort of thing. And if you, reading this, are that HR generalist, consider bringing in outside help. Maybe even a mediator. In Toronto? Contact me!

Additional Reading:

10 Signs That Your Workplace Might be Toxic

You began your job eager and passionate for growth and a chance to use your skills and talents in a collegial environment, so how did you end up so stressed-out, cynical and depressed?

Coping in a Toxic Work Environment

…I had the occasion to observe a group of employees who were working in a toxic work environment.  I witnessed the decline of self-esteem in each one of them as they endured month after month of poor leadership and dysfunction in their workplace.

Toxic Workplace Checklist

Nobody loves going to work all the time — but there’s a difference between routine workplace hassles and a working environment that stresses you out to the point of illness, according to Linnda Durre, the author of Surviving the Toxic Workplace.

Durre suggests that hostile working environments typically have one or more types of dysfunction — how many symptoms does yours have?

Return to my Mediation Website