Career Myth: I Should be Able to Succeed in a Toxic Work Environment
When I work with employees who work in a toxic environment, my goal is to help them survive their work--not necessarily succeed there. If a work environment is toxic, it is often impossible to succeed. Everything is designed to get in the way of your success. Instead, I focus on how to keep your sanity while working there and carve out time in your schedule to find a better job.
A toxic work environment could look like an inept/mean/unpredictable boss. It could look like a culture where everyone is competing with everyone else. It could look like a place where nothing ever gets accomplished. Racism, sexism, ageism are all examples of environments that are toxic. Even the companies that win every award for their treatment of employees can have a toxic group within it. You don’t have to convince anyone that your job is toxic. All that matters is that you feel it is not the right place for you and then you have to get going to find a different one.
Oftentimes my clients will try to figure out what they are doing wrong. Why can’t they just work harder to succeed? But working harder cannot fix your experience in these environments. Instead of focusing on how to succeed there, take your time to focus on how you will succeed elsewhere. Jump back on LinkedIn and other career related sites to get your search started. Learning how to survive a toxic environment is not required. There are other jobs out there where you can thrive.
This doesn’t mean you don’t have to do any soul searching. You may need to figure out how you got there. Did you miss cues during the interview process? Could you have asked better questions or done better research? Are there boundaries you could have set up from the start, conversations you could have had to protect yourself? Can you bring these lessons to your upcoming job search? What red flags do you want to look for? What are non-negotiables you want to identify before taking a future job?
I encourage my clients to get out as soon as possible from a toxic job, but some people just don’t realize their environment is toxic until the damage is done. It’s like the story about boiling a frog--the heat turns up slowly until it is too late. Unfortunately, if you stay in a toxic job long enough, your confidence can be shattered. Part of my job is to help people reconnect with who they really are and what value they bring to a new workplace. If you feel your confidence is shot, do what you need to do to feel better: self care, therapy, journaling, time with supportive friends, coaching, whatever you need. But it is important to do this work along with a job search.
In conclusion, here are my thoughts:
You cannot succeed in a toxic environment, instead of trying to figure the place out, put that energy into finding a different job
You get to define what toxic means to you. You do not need to convince anyone else
Learn what you didn't like about the job so you can find a better job for you
Get help if you are feeling depleted and stuck as a result of a toxic job experience
Have you survived a toxic job situation? I would love to hear about it. Please email me your experience.
Need help getting out of a toxic job and building back your confidence? Click here to learn more about working with me.
Photo by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash
