“Toxic environment”. If the phrase is well known, the concept behind it is not necessarily understood. Engagés spoke to Marie-Hélène Chèvrefils, founder of Evō conseils, an organization specializing in employee experience, to help NPO teams learn more about this ailment that can affect workplaces, and what to do when faced with it.
Candidates, refer to this fact sheet as a health info sheet to take care of yourself at work.
Diagnostic definition
A toxic environment is a workplace in which one or more conditions significantly affect the atmosphere and well-being of employees and managers.
Toxicity can affect a relationship between a few individuals, an entire team or the entire organization.
Symptoms
There is a long list of signs that can indicate a potentially toxic work environment.
- Here are the main ones:
- Burnout
- Excessive employee turnover
- Lack of collaboration between resources and teams
- Mistrust between employees or towards managers
- Overreaction to situations or demands
- Irritability of human resources
- Lack of interest in relationships with peers
Our expert, Ms. Chèvrefils, insists on one important point: it’s not the multiplicity of signs that confirms the diagnosis. In other words, the presence of a single sign may be enough to qualify as a toxic environment when the frequency and intensity of the sign speak for themselves.
Prevention
To make sure that the organization they are interested in does not seem to be affected by a toxic environment, candidates can follow these few tips:
- Find out more about the organization before applying:
- Visit the website to learn about the organization’s values, and read employee testimonials if possible.
- Get in touch with employees on LinkedIn to hear their views.
- Sound out your network, looking for information about the organization
- Dig into Glassdoor and social networking groups to find out more about the employer.
- Visit the website to learn about the organization’s values, and read employee testimonials if possible.
- Use interviews to enrich your investigation
- Ask questions about the organization’s culture (e.g.: “How is team spirit promoted on a daily basis?”, “What is your turnover rate during the integration period?”, “Do you conduct loyalty interviews1?”, etc.)
- Ask to meet future colleagues and ask them about work dynamics.
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1 An interview during which the employee is invited to express their wishes, make their needs known, discuss working conditions and take stock of career development. (Definition inspired by the Grand dictionnaire terminologique)
Causes
The causes that can lead to a diagnosis of a toxic environment are many and varied. Here is a non-exhaustive list:
- Lack of organizational support, often induced by management and corporate culture
- Lack of leadership
- Lack of mutual support between colleagues
- Internal communication problems
- Lack of transparency
- Information passed on in dribs and drabs
- Information embellished to conceal the truth
- Lack of recognition for work accomplished
- Unreasonable demands on employees
- Unrealistic goals
- Goals whose attainment is beyond the control of individuals
- Work overload
- Exaggerated priorities and urgency
- Micromanagement and management rigidity
- Incivility
- Deviant or discriminatory behavior (including harassment), which is evidence of unfair treatment based on elements of the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms of Quebec
- Conflicts that give rise to inappropriate attitudes (interrupting, raising your voice, being aggressive, sulking, excluding) and that are not managed
- Microaggressions (e.g., seemingly trivial but genuinely vexatious remarks; humiliating or insensitive comments even though not intended maliciously; invalidation of problematic behavior or a person’s contribution)
- Toxic personality within the team, e.g.:
- Narcissist (believes he/she is always right and usually blames others)
- Liar or manipulator (uses emotional blackmail)
- Difficulty managing emotions (may shout, call names, etc.)
Side effects
- Employees in a toxic work environment may experience one or more of the following side effects:
- Feelings of incompetence and loss of self-confidence
- Disengagement and demobilization
- Increased absenteeism
- Resenteeism (i.e. staying at work while feeling bitter and expressing it to peers – not management)
- Reduced productivity, creativity and performance
- Resignation
- Irritability, stress, anxiety and emotional outbursts
- Psychological and physical discomfort
- Fear of making mistakes and loss of initiative
- Isolation and non-participation within the team
- Teams loosened and fed by jealousy and low blows
- Burnout and depression2
- These side-effects in turn lead to adverse effects on the health and future of the organization, including :
- repeated recruitment and training of new recruits, resulting in inflated expenses;
- reduced performance and difficulty in meeting annual targets, resulting in lost revenue;
- poor employer’s reputation.
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2 According to a University of South Australia study published in the British Medical Journal, the risk of depression increases by 300% in a toxic work environment.
Treatment
While it’s true that leaders have a big impact on creating and maintaining a workplace that is healthy, stimulating and positive, employees struggling with a toxic environment can nevertheless take individual actions to change their situation. Note that these are not steps, but options: it’s up to each individual to choose the one or ones that suit them best.
1 – Document any problematic situation
Many of the factors that contribute to a toxic work environment involve a certain amount of subjectivity in the interpretation of a given situation.
- To ensure that your analysis of the situation is as objective as possible, and that you have everything you need to bring it to the attention of others if you so wish, Ms. Chèvrefils recommends that you record the events and feelings:
- What happened? When did it happen?
- Who took part in the incident? Who witnessed it?
- How did it make you feel? What did you say or do?
- Etc.
2 – Speak out.
In the context of a toxic environment, daring to say “no” or report problematic situations out loud can seem intimidating. That being said, more often than not, the people at the root of these situations aren’t even aware of their involvement in a toxic environment! It’s important to inform them of this, so that they can adjust. However, Ms. Chèvrefils insists on your right, as an employee, not to opt for this measure – or any other for that matter – if you’re not comfortable
3 – Complain to your manager
If the toxic climate concerns one or more other employees, you can turn to your manager to inform them of the situation. If the climate relates to the manager himself/herself, the Human Resources department can be consulted. Ms. Chèvrefils is also encouraging if you opt for this course of action: “The attention you’ll receive and the solutions that will be put in place to clean up the environment may surprise you”.
4 – Find out about your employer’s internal policies and legal obligations regarding workplace well-being and conflict management
Keep in mind that employers have a legal responsibility to ensure compliance in the workplace. To this end, they adopt policies setting out the measures to be applied to preserve or re-establish a healthy work climate. Often, these policies also indicate the internal contact person responsible for receiving testimonials or complaints and treating them confidentially. Employees who are aware of their rights and of the measures supposed to be in place in their workplace to comply with the law at the very least, will be in a better position to document problematic situations, with a view to reporting them if necessary.
5 – File a complaint with an authority
You can file a complaint with a union, an ombudsman or an ethics line offering anonymous and confidential service. Depending on the nature of the body chosen, it may analyze the situation reported and decide to take further action, depending on the diagnosis made.
Alternatively, you can turn to the CNESST, since every employer in Quebec has a legal obligation to promote a healthy, safe work environment that protects the physical and psychological integrity of its human resources.
6 – Getting support
Employee assistance programs, telemedicine services, 24-hour helplines, friends and family… any way you can find a sympathetic ear to confide in. “We’re not in solution mode here; we just ask you to listen and understand, to relieve,” explains Ms. Chèvrefils.
7 – Take care of yourself
Scheduling breaks during the workday, disconnecting at the end of the day and taking a vacation are excellent ways to take care of yourself and avoid getting caught up in a toxic environment.
8 – Leaving your job
Sometimes, the preferred choice is to leave one’s job, to change teams or organizations. This is not a defection, but a perfectly valid and common solution for the individual who no longer wishes to navigate a toxic work environment. After all, the burden for cleaning up the environment lies primarily with the employer, not the employees.
At the end of the day, it’s important to maintain your self-confidence and organize your career transition properly: leave the past behind and focus on the future!
A final word
The world of work has changed dramatically over the past few decades, with the result that some workplaces once considered normal are now toxic environments. Employees, be careful to spot them and take the necessary decisions for your well-being and pleasure at work.
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Thanks to our external collaborator:
Marie-Hélène Chèvrefils, M. Sc., CRHA
mhchevrefils@evoconseil