How to Tell if You’re in a Toxic Work Environment (And What to Do About It)

Summary

Dr. Liane Davey's script explores the concept of a toxic work environment, identifying five key categories that can contribute to such conditions: harmful organizational policies, a negative culture, toxic bosses, problematic colleagues, and difficult customers. She advises viewers to assess their workplace against these factors and consider whether their discomfort might stem from personal narratives rather than actual toxicity. The video aims to help individuals determine if their work situation is detrimental and offers guidance on next steps.

Takeaways

• 🚨 Even one category of a toxic work environment, if severe enough, can be harmful to your health.
• 🏢 Toxic work environments can stem from organizational policies that are physically or psychologically unsafe or discriminatory.
• 📋 Unwritten rules and toxic culture, such as unrealistic expectations, toxic positivity, or abusive behavior, can contribute to a harmful work environment.
• 👩‍💼 Toxic bosses can cause daily stress, wear down self-esteem, and create an unhealthy work atmosphere.
• 🤝 Toxic colleagues can make you feel excluded, sabotage your efforts, or create a hostile work environment.
• 👥 Customers can also contribute to a toxic environment by being aggressive, making unrealistic demands, or threatening your safety.
• 🤔 Consider whether your work environment is truly toxic or if it's pushing your boundaries and causing discomfort that could lead to growth.
• 🧠 Sometimes what feels like a toxic environment might be due to personal discomfort with high expectations or constructive criticism.
• 💭 Negative self-talk or imposter syndrome might make you perceive your environment as toxic when it's not objectively so.
• 🔍 Reflect on whether the issues are truly external or if they're influenced by internal narratives or lack of skills in handling difficult situations.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of Dr. Liane Davey's video?

The main purpose of Dr. Liane Davey's video is to help viewers assess whether their work environment is toxic and to provide guidance on identifying the different categories of toxic workplaces.

How many categories of toxic workplaces does Dr. Davey discuss in the script?

Dr. Davey discusses five categories of toxic workplaces in the script.

What is the first category of toxic work environment mentioned by Dr. Davey?

The first category is situations where the organization's policies and procedures, including the official written rules, are harmful to one's physical or psychological wellbeing.

Can a workplace be considered toxic if only one of the five categories is present?

Yes, a workplace can be considered toxic even if only one of the five categories is present, especially if that one issue is severe enough to threaten health.

What are some examples of physical threats in a work environment that Dr. Davey mentions?

Examples of physical threats include unsafe work conditions, presence of poisons or toxins, falling objects, and lack of privacy.

What does Dr. Davey suggest about the impact of a toxic boss on an individual's self-esteem?

Dr. Davey suggests that a toxic boss can wear down an individual over time, causing daily stress and potentially leading the person to question their self-esteem or self-worth.

What is the role of 'toxic culture' in creating a toxic work environment according to the script?

Toxic culture refers to unspoken rules and norms within an organization that may encourage unhealthy behaviors, such as high expectations that no one can meet, a culture of toxic positivity, or acceptance of abusive language and actions.

How does Dr. Davey differentiate between a toxic work environment and a situation that is merely uncomfortable?

Dr. Davey suggests that a toxic work environment is one that poses a psychological or physical danger, while a merely uncomfortable situation might be pushing one's boundaries or requiring adaptation to higher performance standards.

What advice does Dr. Davey give regarding the handling of criticism in the workplace?

Dr. Davey advises that criticism of work can be acceptable and is not necessarily toxic. The key is to differentiate between constructive feedback and belittling, and to develop skills in handling feedback and advocating for one's ideas.

What is the potential impact of 'imposter syndrome' on one's perception of the work environment according to Dr. Davey?

Imposter syndrome can lead individuals to feel that their contributions are not valid or worthy, causing them to believe they cannot speak up or disagree, which may falsely suggest a toxic environment when it is actually their own inner monologue.

What are some of the final considerations Dr. Davey suggests before deciding if one is in a toxic environment?

Dr. Davey suggests considering whether the discomfort felt is due to genuine danger or just a push towards personal growth, and whether the toxicity might be stemming from one's own negative internal narratives rather than the actual work environment.

Outlines

00:00

🚨 Identifying Toxic Workplaces

Dr. Liane Davey introduces the concept of toxic work environments and outlines five categories that can indicate such a situation. The first category involves organizational policies and procedures that negatively impact physical or psychological health, such as unsafe working conditions, discrimination, unfair scheduling, or inadequate compensation. The second category is a toxic culture, characterized by unspoken rules that encourage unhealthy behaviors, high expectations, or passive-aggressive communication. The third category focuses on the impact of toxic bosses, who can erode self-esteem and create a stressful work atmosphere. The fourth category discusses the negative effects of colleagues who exclude or undermine team members. The final category addresses the growing issue of toxic customers, who may exhibit aggressive or demanding behavior, creating an unsafe work environment. Dr. Davey emphasizes the importance of recognizing these signs and taking them seriously.

05:02

🤔 Differentiating Discomfort from Toxicity

In the second paragraph, Dr. Davey challenges the notion that every challenging workplace is necessarily toxic, suggesting that some environments may simply push boundaries and cause discomfort. She encourages viewers to consider whether high-performance cultures or constructive criticism are being misinterpreted as toxicity. Dr. Davey highlights the importance of distinguishing between a truly toxic environment and one that is merely demanding or challenging, as the latter may be an opportunity for growth and development. She advises viewers to reflect on whether their discomfort stems from the environment itself or from their own reactions to it.

10:03

🧐 The Role of Personal Narratives in Perceptions of Toxicity

The final paragraph delves into the influence of personal narratives on the perception of a toxic work environment. Dr. Davey discusses how internal monologues, such as imposter syndrome or fear of contributing, can create a sense of toxicity that may not be present in reality. She provides examples of how self-limiting beliefs can lead to a distorted view of the workplace and suggests that addressing these internal narratives might alleviate perceived toxicity. Dr. Davey concludes by emphasizing the importance of a healthy work environment and encourages viewers to take action if they believe they are in a toxic situation, while also considering the role of personal perceptions in their experience.

Keywords

💡Toxic Work Environment

A toxic work environment refers to a workplace where the conditions are detrimental to employees' physical or psychological well-being. In the video, Dr. Liane Davey outlines various ways a workplace can be toxic, such as unsafe physical conditions, discriminatory practices, or a hostile culture. These environments can have severe impacts on an employee's health, job satisfaction, and overall mental state.

💡Discriminatory Practices

Discriminatory practices in the workplace involve unfair treatment of employees based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other characteristics. Dr. Davey highlights that such practices are not only illegal but also contribute significantly to a toxic work environment. For example, if certain groups are marginalized or denied opportunities, the environment becomes harmful to those individuals.

💡Toxic Culture

Toxic culture refers to the unspoken rules and behaviors that are pervasive in an organization and create a negative work environment. This can include unrealistic expectations, a culture of cheating, or toxic positivity where employees are forced to pretend everything is fine. Dr. Davey emphasizes that a culture that condones negative behavior, such as belittling or aggressive competition, can be as harmful as explicit policies.

💡Toxic Boss

A toxic boss is a manager who creates a harmful work environment through negative behavior such as bullying, micromanaging, or undermining employees. Dr. Davey discusses how a toxic boss can erode an employee's self-esteem and lead to significant stress, making the workplace psychologically unsafe. The presence of a toxic boss is a common reason for a work environment to become toxic.

💡Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern where an individual doubts their accomplishments and fears being exposed as a 'fraud,' despite evident success. In the video, Dr. Davey mentions that sometimes employees might perceive their work environment as toxic due to their own imposter syndrome rather than any actual negative behavior from colleagues or supervisors. This internal struggle can distort how one views their workplace.

💡Psychological Safety

Psychological safety refers to a work environment where employees feel safe to take risks, express their opinions, and make mistakes without fear of negative consequences. Dr. Davey talks about how a lack of psychological safety, whether due to toxic culture, discriminatory practices, or a toxic boss, can lead to a toxic work environment. This concept is crucial for understanding when a workplace is truly toxic versus simply challenging.

💡Toxic Positivity

Toxic positivity is the excessive and ineffective overgeneralization of a happy, optimistic state across all situations, which can lead to denial, minimization, and invalidation of genuine human emotional experience. Dr. Davey identifies this as a component of a toxic culture where employees feel pressured to hide their struggles and maintain a facade of positivity, which can be damaging over time.

💡Customer Toxicity

Customer toxicity refers to situations where customers create a hostile or unsafe environment for employees. Dr. Davey points out that in some workplaces, the customers themselves can be the source of toxicity, particularly if they are overly demanding, abusive, or create an atmosphere of fear. This kind of external pressure can make a workplace harmful even if the internal environment is otherwise healthy.

💡Unrealistic Expectations

Unrealistic expectations in the workplace are demands placed on employees that are impossible to meet without excessive strain. Dr. Davey explains that such expectations, whether they come from company policies or a toxic boss, contribute to a toxic work environment by pushing employees to their limits, often leading to burnout and a sense of failure.

💡Constructive Feedback

Constructive feedback is the process of offering valid and well-reasoned opinions about the work of others, usually involving both positive and negative points, with the intention of improvement. Dr. Davey highlights the importance of distinguishing between environments where criticism is meant to improve work (which can be uncomfortable but not toxic) and those where it is used to belittle or undermine (which is toxic).

Highlights

Dr. Liane Davey introduces a method to determine if a workplace is toxic, emphasizing that even one negative aspect can be harmful.

Five categories of toxic workplaces are outlined, providing a comprehensive framework for assessment.

Policies and procedures that threaten physical or psychological safety are identified as the first category of a toxic work environment.

Discriminatory practices within organizations are highlighted as a form of toxicity that is both illegal and harmful.

Unhealthy scheduling and long shifts that disrupt sleep patterns are mentioned as contributing factors to a toxic work environment.

Compensation and benefits that fail to provide a living wage or are unfair in comparison to others are considered toxic.

Toxic culture, including unspoken rules and high expectations, is discussed as a second category of unhealthy workplaces.

Examples of toxic positivity and cultures that condone abusive behavior are provided to illustrate the impact on employees.

Toxic bosses and their long-term effects on mental and physical health are examined as a third category of toxicity.

Colleagues who create a sense of exclusion and undermine team success are identified as a fourth toxic category.

Difficult customers who create unsafe environments for employees are discussed as a growing source of workplace toxicity.

The importance of taking the assessment of a toxic work environment seriously and considering all five categories is stressed.

Dr. Davey suggests that discomfort, rather than danger, might be experienced in certain high-performance work cultures.

The difference between constructive criticism and belittling is clarified to help individuals assess their work environment.

Imposter syndrome and personal narratives are explored as potential sources of perceived toxicity in the workplace.

The final message encourages individuals to seek a work environment where they can contribute meaningfully and feel valued.

Transcripts

- Are you worried

you might have a toxic work environment?

Hi, I'm Dr. Liane Davey

and I'm gonna help you

think through the situation that you're facing

to determine whether your situation is toxic or not.

Let's go through the five different categories

of toxic workplaces.

Now don't think you have to have all five of these be true

for your work in environment to be toxic.

Not at all, even one of these categories,

if it's bad enough,

can classify your workplaces completely bad for your health

but I wanna share all of them with you.

So you have a sense of what the possibilities are.

The first category

of toxic work environment is situations

where the organization's policies and procedures,

the official written rules of the organization,

are bad for your physical or psychological wellbeing.

Some of them really are physical.

The work environment is unsafe.

Maybe there's threats to your safety

right in the environment.

There are poisons.

There are toxins.

There are things falling from the sky.

Maybe it's just that the work environment

is backbreaking or unhygienic or there's no privacy,

but if your physical space

and the environment you're in

threatens your physical

or psychological safety, that's toxic.

There are other ways that the official rules

and policies and realities of your organization

may be toxic to you.

That's things like

discriminatory practices, where women,

people of color,

people with various disabilities,

or people who are LGBTQ, it may be that there are groups

in your organization who are either officially

or quietly discriminated against in your organization.

If there are those kinds of discriminatory practices,

well, first of all, it's illegal,

but it's certainly toxic.

Another way that your organization's policies

and processes may be toxic is in how things

are scheduled in your work environment.

Maybe that you have

to work exceedingly long shifts or overnight,

things that are disrupting your sleep

or causing you to have to work while very fatigued.

That can be incredibly unsafe.

It's also possible

that it's just in your company's policies

that their compensation, their rewards, their benefits,

that you can't even earn a living wage

or what it takes to earn a living wage

is working far too many hours

or in a way that's just not conducive to your wellbeing

or it's just that their policies are completely unfair.

And what you make for your job

is nothing compared to what other people are making

for work of equal value.

Those sorts of things in the rules are toxic.

So you should consider your organization's policies

and processes and procedures in deciding

whether you're in an unhealthy workplace.

A second category of unhealthy work environment

or even toxic work

environments is one where you have a toxic culture.

The culture isn't so much

about the explicit official rules of the company.

It's about those unspoken rules,

the ones that everybody follows.

An unhealthy, toxic culture

can look differently in different places

but it might be that the organization

has just incredibly high expectations and standards

that no one could even meet.

We've certainly seen in the news situations

where companies have quotas that are so high

that culture is to just cheat the system.

We've seen places where there's a culture

of toxic positivity,

where you have to pretend that everything is going fine

when it's not.

Anyone who followed the Theranos trial

knows a lot about a toxic, positive culture.

There's also places where yelling

and belittling and abusing people

is not only tolerated but almost condoned

as part of the, you know,

either the Wall Street culture or the Silicon Valley culture

or passive-aggressive cultures

where nobody says anything to your face,

but what's going on at the water cooler

is certainly unhealthy.

So if you have a culture that makes it okay

for people to behave badly, well,

that can be incredibly bad for you

over the long term.

Another category of toxic cultures

is places where you have a toxic boss.

It might not be your organization

that's the issue at all,

just your little part of the organization.

Toxic bosses are incredibly bad for us,

because over time, they cannot only wear us down

and create daily stress that's bad for our mental

and our physical health,

but at some point,

they can even leave you questioning,

is it me that's the problem here?

And when a boss starts to cause you

to question your own self-esteem or self-worth,

that's incredibly toxic.

Now I'm not gonna go into every way

that a boss can be toxic,

because in the description,

I've provided a full catalog

of the 11 different types of toxic bosses

and what you can do

if you find yourself working for one of those.

Regardless of what kind of toxic boss you have,

if you have a boss that's making you feel

upset, angry, stressed, poorly about yourself,

well, that's toxic a situation

and one that you need to deal with.

Another category of toxic work environment comes

from your colleagues.

If you have colleagues

who make you feel that you're not a part of the team,

who whisper and gossip about you,

who roll their eyes or, you know,

go to the boss, trying to throw you under the bus,

well, that is a very toxic situation.

They may hoard knowledge

so that they can get the plum assignments

or they may just not include you

in any of the social goings on

and maybe feeling like you don't belong on the team

because of their inner circle.

Regardless of what exactly it looks like,

if you're in a situation where your coworkers

either mean that you can't succeed and do your job well,

or can't feel like you're a part of something

and that you're connected to a team,

well, that can be really bad for you

and something you need to take action on

probably in the midterm.

Finally, it might not be your organization

that's the problem at all.

Increasingly, we're seeing situations

where it's the customers

that are toxic.

People have become so impatient.

They have incredibly ridiculous expectations and standards

and they're not afraid to go screaming for the manager

if they think they're not getting what they want.

Well, maybe it's your customers that are wearing you down.

And if that's the case, it's something really serious.

Some customers make you feel physically unsafe.

They're right up in your face

or too close in your personal space.

That is certainly not okay.

Others just threaten you all the time

and make you worry about what they're gonna say to your boss

or ugh, there are so many ways

in which our clients and customers

can create an environment

that's either physically or psychologically unsafe for us.

And again, that's a really toxic situation.

So there are five different ways

that you may find yourself

in a toxic work environment, it might

be that the official rules of the organization

or even how the work is set up are physically

or psychologically unsafe or discriminatory,

it may be that it's the culture, the norms,

and the way people behave that's really,

really unhealthy but it

might also be your boss or your coworkers

that it's really just a pocket on your team

that's toxic or that

that toxicity is coming from your customers.

All of those things are situations

you need to take incredibly seriously.

In my next video,

I'm gonna take you through what are your options

depending on which of those things

is the problem in your work environment.

But before we go there,

I want you to consider two other options.

I hear the term toxic workplace quite a lot.

And people often jump to saying that their work environment

or their situation is psychologically dangerous.

Well, let me ask you,

is it possible that rather than being dangerous,

it's just a feeling

of discomfort that your brain is picking up?

And you see, our brains are here to keep us safe,

to take in information from our environment,

and to give us the big alert, alert

if something is wrong or threatening.

But unfortunately, we don't see

too many Saber-toothed tigers anymore.

So our brains tend to trigger on things

that aren't always truly dangerous.

So ask yourself, is it possible

that what I'm experiencing as a toxic workplace

is really just one that's pushing my boundaries a little,

making me uncomfortable but not necessarily toxic?

Let's take a couple of scenarios for that.

Some cultures in organizations

are incredibly high performance

even bleeding edge.

They are so far out in front

and they have crazy high expectations

for how hard you work,

how much you accomplish.

It doesn't necessarily mean that that's toxic.

It might be but it is worth asking.

Is this just about me getting comfortable

with being more productive,

being more efficient,

taking my game to the next level?

Or is this truly a problem?

Another situation I hear about a lot

is people complaining

that they don't feel safe

because their work gets criticized.

Well, again, in certain environments

and in certain situations,

criticizing your work is perfectly acceptable.

What's not acceptable,

of course, is belittling you.

That's not okay.

But a lot of what I see is people talking about the ideas,

focusing, really, on making the work better

but we are so wedded to our work

and so unaccustomed to getting constructive feedback

that it feels dangerous.

Our brains are triggering,

telling us to run away,

to fight or flee or freeze

when, really, what we have to do

is learn how to take feedback well,

how to actually have the skills

to advocate for our own ideas.

And if we build those skills,

the skills of difficult conversations,

we'd be in a much better position

to find that environment enriching

as opposed to something that's wearing us down.

So it's worth asking,

all those hard, uncomfortable situations

that you're experiencing in your organization,

is it really danger

or is it just a little discomfort?

The final thing to ponder before deciding,

whether you're in a toxic environment or not,

is whether there might not be anything toxic

in your environment,

only something toxic in the stories

you're telling yourself.

And unfortunately, this happens more often than you'd think.

When you take another couple of examples,

I often hear people like, "Well, I can't say anything.

I can't raise an issue or disagree."

And I'll ask, "Okay, tell me more about that.

What gives you that impression?"

They'll say, "Well, I haven't worked here long enough."

Or, "I don't have enough experience."

Or, "I'm not the expert."

So I'll just ask, "What has caused you to believe

that your contribution is not valid or not worthy?"

And there's actually no objective evidence.

It's their own imposter syndrome.

It's all the times their nasty narrator has told them.

"You can't say that."

Or, "Who are you to say that?"

It's not any feedback they got from their boss

or their colleagues.

So it's possible that part of your toxic work environment

is just your toxic inner monologue.

Similarly, with how you feel about your teammates,

are they giving you objective real evidence

that you're not one of the team or they don't value you?

Or are you refraining from contributing,

worried about rocking the boat

or worrying they won't like you?

And what they're thinking is, "Well,

she's not contributing much to this equation."

And if you'd actually stood up to them

and shared your perspective

instead of them disliking you,

they might respect you a lot more.

So that third possibility

is that it's not necessarily your work environment

that's toxic at all.

It's just the stories that you're telling yourself

are what's doing you the harm.

Everyone deserves to work in a place

where they can do good work,

make a meaningful contribution,

be paid a living wage for it,

and have the chance to feel a part of something

and a group that's bigger than themselves.

And many of us don't feel that way

and don't experience it.

If you are feeling like your work environment

may be toxic, take it seriously.

Think through each of the five different criteria,

and then consider whether instead of psychological danger,

what you might be feeling is discomfort

and adding a few new skills might reframe completely

how you're feeling about your work.

I'm Dr. Liane Davey and I'm here to help you get

the work environment that you deserve.

Thanks so much for tuning in and check out my other videos

for how-tos on dealing with some of the situations

that come up when we're trying to make teamwork work.