Life Lessons

Toxic Workplaces Kills Your Joy, Know The Signs Now

Learn from my mistakes and run for the hills, it will save you a lifetime of regrets.

I’ve had the unfortunate opportunity to have been employed at two of the most toxic workplaces: A construction company and a millwork company.

I wrote an article before where I described some outrageous tales from my toxic workplace. Read it and see if it makes you want to stay away. It’s an eye-opener to what you will deal with if you accept a job at a toxic workplace.

I am going to tell you how I know this.

It isn’t by asking questions of my colleagues either; it comes from listening.

And that’s a shame because most people in these situations don’t realize that they can use their ears to pinpoint signs of toxicity.

I’ve had the misfortune of working with these two companies’ bosses. Both bosses were rude, disorganized, and lack timely decision making skills, and both bosses created an unsafe work environment — both bosses were toxic.

So how can you tell a toxic workplace before you get there? Many signs reveal a toxic workplace to you, but you should be vigilant.

A “toxic workplace” is a colloquial term used to describe a place of work, usually an office environment, that is marked by significant personal conflicts between those who work there. — Wikipedia

People Avoid Eye Contact

When you arrive at the interview, look around. Examine the interactions between the employees.

If you notice the workplace is more like a high school cafeteria than an office, then you know you should probably look elsewhere.

If the only people interacting with one another are doing so at a distance, then you know you’re in a toxic workplace.

For that matter, if the people who work here are avoiding you, you’re in a toxic workplace as well.

This is the first warning you’ll get of a toxic workplace, so don’t ignore it. But make sure you’re not the reason for the lack of interpersonal interaction.

The second sign is subtle. Yet, at a glance it appears to be that they are extremely busy. But it simply that — busy work.

People Are Constantly Being Interrupted

Many of us don’t realize it, but interrupting others has become the dominant way people communicate in a toxic workplace.

If this is the case, you’re pretty much in hell.

When people constantly talk over one another, it’s more important to make yourself heard than listen to others. At a toxic workplace, people talk over one another constantly, even during the interview, and nobody listens.

You have to speak up more often and be more assertive. Remember that people who work there have probably been doing it so long that they get used to being interrupted. It’s almost like a habit for them.

You’ll notice employees talking over one another, and they don’t listen to the people they are talking to. They’re constantly taking people off track, and the conversation ends up being off-topic. This is a clue that the work environment is toxic.

The Open-Door Policy

The workplace has an “open-door” policy enabling employees to walk in and out of the office as they please. — Wikipedia.

This sounds great in theory, but it creates a different problem in practice.

An open-door policy creates an environment where managers/supervisors have free rein to come and go as they please. And to speak to whomever they wish to talk with, at any time they want to, they will do so even while an interview is in progress.

This means that when you’re in the interview process, you can observe the amount of interaction between people, and you’ll know if you’re in a toxic workplace.

Because often, the conversation between people will be about topics that have nothing to do with the job you’re interviewing for. Instead of discussing the interview, you’re talking about sports teams, favorite movies or what you did the night before. Instead of what you are interviewing for.

Use this as an indicator that the company lacks structure.

If the managers/supervisors are having this many personal conversations, there’s a lot of free time and a lack of focus. A lack of focus means that people aren’t doing anything productive, and there’s no work being done.

Interviewing Is One-sided

People who work in a toxic job rarely know what they are interviewing for and what it entails.

There is usually no exchange of knowledge and information during the interview.

There is also minimal talk about what the job entails. In some cases, the employer’s only question is how the interviewee views themselves, and it is almost as if the employer is testing the interviewee’s self-esteem.

But what is the point of a job interview if that is the entire purpose? If the employer doesn’t already know what they are looking for, the discussion is pointless. You don’t get the job just because you have a good smile.

And lastly, this is the most crucial alert.

The Constant Buzzing of A Smart Phone

What really sets a toxic workplace apart and makes it toxic are the people who work there.

You’ll notice employees who have this look all the time, and they’re constantly looking at their smartphones instead of looking at you or anyone else.

They’re always talking to other employees. Or on their phones; instead of really listening to what is being said. They may even interrupt you before you can even finish what you’re saying. Sometimes they’ll even walk away while you’re speaking. This is a perfect example of an atmosphere that is toxic. Not only are they undermining you, but they’re also undermining themselves in the process.

It’s a toxic environment, and it’s not the place for you.

All In All

Now that you understand better, you know how to spot a toxic workplace. You can look out for these signs and avoid them. Because it isn’t hard to see these signs.

The signs are not very subtle, all the time. And you can see them from the very beginning of the interview process. You don’t have to wait until you get to the job offer stage to find out.

When you visit a toxic workplace for an interview, you will know it. You’ll feel it. You’ll sense it. Because you’ll feel uncomfortable, awkward, and confused.

A toxic workplace will make you feel like an outsider. You will be treated differently, and you will be undermined. And the people around you will not share information with you because they are unsure of the policies and procedures. And you will be belittled and undermined.

Even worse, people will talk over you rather than about what you just said. It’s not really a two-way conversation, but a monologue and people may even walk away while you’re speaking.

Run for the hills!

You don’t have to accept a job offer in a toxic workplace, and there are so many great jobs out there that you don’t have to endure the misery of a toxic workplace.

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