For many people, the time spent at work is a major investment.
If you’re lucky, work provides you with emotional or mental satisfaction in addition to the economic benefits. But sometimes jobs are actually harmful to people and result in more damage than good.
A term that is used to describe this is “toxic workplaces.”
There are at least three ways that workplaces become toxic:
Whayne Herriford
1. The organizational culture (the way things get done, it’s policies and procedures or it’s goals and objectives) are dysfunctional and impact everyone who is part of the company. This would include any organization where there is rampant dishonesty towards customers or clients, where there is constant “fixing” rather than attempting to find solutions to problems, where the organization operates in constant crisis mode or where there is no respect for people – both workers and the recipients of the goods or services.
2. A second (and somewhat common cause) is when there are leaders in the organization who act in ways that are unhealthy and that affects other people around them. Think of a leader who is in active addiction who can affect the day-to-day lives of the people at the job. Similarly, someone with either undiagnosed or untreated mental health disorders who is leading others would create unhealthy or toxic environments for people.
3. For some individuals, work can become an addictive activity. Their sense of self or the rush of the work or the need for validation can drive people to develop behaviors that are pathological and harmful to themselves and to others around them. Think of people who are so committed to their job or company that they ignore their family or their own needs – the workaholic. These days many people feel tethered to their job with their email and calendar and other applications appearing on their phone 24 hours a day!.
Toxic workplaces frequently result in a variety of dysfunctional behaviors on the part of people within them. This can include decreased self-esteem, an inability to set good boundaries, obsessive or perfectionist approaches to life, dishonesty and emotional isolation. It is also not uncommon for people to “self-medicate” the impact of toxic workplaces with substances.
As for how to address the toxic workplace, the easiest solution isn’t always possible: You can’t always quit the job. When you can, you should, but when it’s not possible try to develop healthy boundaries with respect to what you can affect and what you can’t.
If you work for someone who has pathological tendencies, do your best to isolate your feelings from their behavior – don’t take responsibility for their actions. If it’s possible and you think it will matter, raise your concerns with a higher-level manager or HR.
Look for other activities outside of the job that will give you the satisfaction or validation that you are not getting in the job.
If your job is a source of addictive behaviors use recovery-related resources to develop a healthier approach to your work.
Whayne Herriford, MS, LPCC is a licensed professional clinical counselor in the state of Kentucky and practices in both NKY and Cincinnati. He lives in Bellevue. This column is intended to provide general information to people about mental health-related issues and is not for diagnostic or treatment purposes. You should always consult with a mental health professional when you have concerns about thoughts or feelings. If you have any specific questions you would like him to address in a future article you can contact him at whayneherriford@gmail.com.
