How to Tell If Your Workplace is Toxic

Trigger warning: this article discusses discrimination, sexism, racism, ageism, bullying, harassment and violence.

When you’re first dipping your toes into the world of work, things can seem really exciting or full-on, but this could mean that you might see the experience through rose-coloured glasses.

The sad thing is if you don’t have much experience in a real-world workplace, it can sometimes be easy to miss behaviour that shouldn’t be tolerated by your team, boss or the workplace as a whole.

Unfortunately, poor workplace behaviour and a lack of action can happen at any workplace, it’s not industry exclusive, so it’s always good to have an eye for this kind of thing.

To help you avoid being taken advantage of in your first, fifth or even 12th job, we’ve put together a list of signs that tell you how to figure out if your workplace is toxic.

Bullying

Starting off with a doozy, bullying is a no brainer form of toxicity in a workplace, but it doesn’t always present in the most obvious ways.

Essentially, workplace bullying refers to a person or group of people repeatedly acting unreasonably towards a single person or a group of workers.

This could look like verbal, physical, or psychological abuse, teasing, pranks or practical jokes, behaving aggressively or being intimidating, peer pressure, excluding someone, unreasonable work demands, or even being overly and unreasonably critical of work and much more.

Bullying could also be very subtle and may only be happening to yourself or a work colleague behind closed doors, so it’s important to always check in with your team, your boss, HR or even a higher leader in your workplace for help.

The toxicity side of things really comes in when you report bullying behaviour, and nothing gets done about it. Either no action is taken, the bullying is deemed as not unreasonable behaviour, or the bully is a person that you would normally report poor behaviour to.

Harassment

Sometimes, bullying and harassment can look very similar, and while they often go hand-in-hand, they are different.

Workplace harassment refers to unwanted behaviour that offends, humiliates or intimidates a person, usually on the basis of gender, age, race, ethnicity, or religion.

Harassment can look like bullying, but it can also include discrimination, sexual harassment like unwelcome touching, sexually explicit comments and uncomfortable requests, making racist, offensive, derogatory or intrusive comments and even compromising the health and safety of another individual.

Again, this kind of behaviour can be subtle or secret, so it’s important to always check in and speak up.

Just like bullying, the toxicity side of things really come in when you report bullying behaviour, and nothing gets done about it. Either no action is taken, the behaviour is deemed as not unreasonable behaviour, or a harasser is a person that you would normally report poor behaviour to.

Conflict is not being dealt with.

When it comes to any workplace, conflict is inevitable. While you might love your workmates or your job, sometimes there might be people that you don’t mesh with, different communication styles or even work you don’t want to do.

If you report a problem to your boss or HR, no matter how minor, and it is repeatedly forgotten, brushed off or completely ignored, you might be working at a toxic workplace.

Team leaders and organisations should always prioritise the health, safety and happiness of staff, and if conflicts are never being dealt with, you’re likely always going to have problems whenever you clock into your job.

Attitudes that prioritise work over staff.

While you go to work to do work, your job isn’t the be-all and end-all of your life. If you’re sick, have personal life things get in the way or are trying to work within reasonable means but aren’t being given flexibility, you may wanna check in with your boss.

For example, if you’re constantly asked to find replacement staff for you when you’re sick or want to go on leave when it’s your manager's job, that’s a red flag.

If you’re constantly being expected to work overtime or come in early for free: that’s a red flag.

If you get made to feel guilty when you take a day off, say no to a shift, call in sick or prioritise your actual life: another red flag.

These are just a few examples, but essentially, if your workplace is putting production over people, it’s not a good sign. Sure, work needs to get done, but not illegally, and not at the expense of employees' lives.

Unconscious bias.

Another big one that might go under the radar is unconscious bias.

Now, let’s be real: it’s human to have unconscious bias, but what’s important is recognising your biases and continuing to challenge them.

Unconscious bias in a workplace (if not challenged) can have a whole lot of crappy repercussions to a whole team. It refers to the attitudes beyond our regular perception that are often reinforced by our society, environment, experiences and the media.

Biases at work can look like people being treated differently because of their gender, age, race, religion, ethnicity or even interests.

If not dealt with, talented people can often get left out of important work, refused equal opportunities for development and career progression, given less of a voice, or even lose credit for their work to other teammates.

Unconscious bias can also take a step further and turn into sexism, racism, ageism or general discrimination, which are not only awful but also illegal.

Just like bullying and harassment, things can get even more toxic when you report biases and nothing gets done about it. Either no action is taken, the behaviour is deemed as not unreasonable, or the person being disrespectful is a person that you would normally report poor behaviour to.

Communication

Last but not least is communication—or a huge lack of it.

If your workplace is big on gossip, lies, poor communication channels or the higher-level staff refusing to get to know or even talk to operational staff, then you might have a problem.

Communication is key to successful workflow and happy staff. So, if you find that some people are being talked about behind others' backs, work is communicated unclearly or there is a clear hierarchy of team members that never mesh, the communication isn’t great.

Great workplaces will often work between departments, encourage social interaction and open chats. Plus, if you’re on the bottom of the food chain and you often get to chat with the CEO, that’s a thumbs up.

What can I do if I’m experiencing workplace toxicity?

Finding out that your job is kinda toxic is really awful, and before you take any action, it’s best to talk with a trusted friend, adult, or even mental health professional to check in on how you’re feeling.

There are a few steps you can take to help end poor behaviour at work, find support or get out.

Firstly, you’ll want to get as informed as you can. Read up on your contract, your workplace’s bullying policy, complaints procedure and check the Fair Work website to find out what is and isn’t illegal.

Next, keep a diary or document everything that happens to you, including what you have done to stop it, even making a complaint.

From here, you can get further information and advice from your workplace health and safety authority, the Australian Human Rights Commission, your union, a lawyer (if you can afford it), the Fair Work Commission, the Commonwealth Fairwork Ombudsman, your local state or territory WorkSafe authority or if someone is in danger, call the police on 131 444 or 000 if urgent.

Then you can either make a formal complaint to your workplace or to one of these governing bodies depending on your situation.

If you go through all these steps and no action is taken, your next best option is to look for another job or resign from the workplace.

While this is a really hard decision to make, it’s so important to prioritise your health and safety at work, so if your workplace won’t do it, it’s best to move on.

Remember, it is not normal to constantly be feeling stressed or unhappy about going to work. You don’t have to accept poor behaviour.

These are just some of the many things that could be noted in a toxic workplace, not all of them will be present at the same job, so it’s important to speak up even if you are experiencing just one of these things.

You can learn more about workplace toxicity or work law on the Fair Work Ombudsman’s website.

Are you experiencing suicidal thoughts, sexual assault or domestic and family violence? Seeking to support someone who is? Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.

Visit ReachOut to get support to help you with everything from everyday issues through to tough times.

Information provided in this article is general only and it does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Student Edge provides no warranty as to its accuracy, reliability or completeness. Before taking any course of action related to this article you should make your own inquiries and seek independent advice (including the appropriate legal advice) on whether it is suitable for your circumstances.

Header Image: Tim Gouw via Unsplash