A healthy work environment is an important aspect of living a satisfied and happy life. You shouldn’t be dreading getting out of bed every day to get to work. Work should be something that people look forward to for most of the time. If you feel that is impossible for you to do so, then read the 6 signs below that indicate that your work environment is toxic.
1. You’re Workload is Excessive
You are paid to do the work assigned to you at your workplace but do you and the others at similar posts also feel like the amount of work assigned is too much to finish in the amount of time given to you?
You shouldn’t be under immense stress when trying to complete your work each day. It should be comfortably doable so that you can have the chance to like what you do. If you’re struggling each day to try and finish on time, you should take that as a sign that your workload is excessive.
Stress is normal and also expected but it should be manageable for you. You shouldn’t be spending your working days dealing with the physical symptoms of anxiety like stomach aches, loss of appetite, and hyperventilation to name a few.
We are human and we need breaks every now and then to recollect our thoughts and to stay healthy. If your workload doesn’t allow you to take the time out to do that, then you must take this up with your supervisor. This is even more of a problem if you’re forced to stay back after your shift to complete your daily work goals. If talking to your supervisor isn’t helping your situation, then try and look elsewhere for work.
A study published in the International Journal of Multidisciplinary Sciences and Engineering shows that an unhealthy workload at the workplace can affect employees’ intellectual and social abilities. This is also a bad sign for the employer because the quality of work produced by employees will deteriorate, harming the company in the process.
2. Your Supervisor is a Weak Leader
Poor leadership can exist in the form of a lack of collaboration between supervisors and employees. Supervisors that disregard their team members’ ideas when making decisions for projects put their company at risk and affect their employee’s job satisfaction at the company. Employees are left feeling that their input doesn’t matter, which damages their productivity and longevity of their stay at that company.
A leader should be charismatic and should inspire those under their leadership to be better. This often starts with leading by example. A supervisor should show rather than tell their employees how they can grow at the company.
In addition to that, they should invest time in understanding how their employees work so that each person under their supervision can feel like they are valued by the company. A lack of interest and invest in individual-growth by supervisors will cause a low morale in the workplace which will lead added stress and disinterest by employees.
Research on the relationship between leadership and mental health has shown that poor-quality leadership has negative effects on employees. Weak leadership at the workplace indicates greater stress levels amongst employees. It was also learned that employees often feel helplessness and alienated when any retaliation against their supervisor’s leadership is met with no change or positive outcome.
3. You Face Harassment or are Bullied
No one should ever have to deal with any form of harassment and bullying. This goes even more so for the workplace. Harassment and bullying is both unethical and unprofessional. Research shows that harassment and bullying at the workplace is a notable predictor for mental health problems which include symptoms of depression, anxiety, and even PTSD.
Coming into work every day with a fear of being of bullied or harassed is not going to make anyone feel like wanting to come to work. An environment like that instills discomfort and fear and will make them want to be out of that space as soon as they’re able to. A workplace should never be like that. Everyone deserves equal respect and peace of mind whilst at the office.
This is even more of a problem when employees attempt to complain about legitimate cases of bullying and harassment and the administration doesn’t take any significant action to combat the issues. If your supervisor also doesn’t take those guilty of harassing you off the team then you need to reconsider working at your current company.
4. Your Input is Not Valued or Required
You have to remember that you’re an important part of your workplace, regardless of your designation. You’re hired because you help the company achieve the goals they want to achieve. That means that your input in the areas of your expertise is valuable to your team.
It is not a positive sign if your supervisor or team members don’t ask you for your ideas and input in ongoing and future projects. It is equally bad if your input is heard but rejected during relevant decision-making processes.
Your growth in your workplace will be stunted or nonexistent if you’re kept out of the loop in important decisions for the company. Yes, there is always a hierarchy and some voices are considered more important then some, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be consulted on any of the projects that you’re expected to work on.
Your employers need to put some trust in you for you to be able to deliver and grow into a well-rounded professional.
5. You’re Too Tired to Have a Life Outside of Work
Research shows that a poor work-life balance negatively affects employees’ personal time and family life. It also indicates associations with health problems that include greater alcohol consumption and increased smoking, depression, and weight gain.
A good balance between work and personal time is necessary for staying healthy. This means that your workplace needs to respect your boundary between work-hours and your time off the clock.
6. You Question Why You’re Working Here
Take it as a red flag if you’ve revaluated your reason for staying at your current workplace on more than one occasion. Job satisfaction is important for staying happy and healthy because a significant portion of your day is spent at the workplace. Being forced every now and then to question why you work at your current workplace is a sign of a toxic work environment, and you need to leave.
An unhealthy work environment is detrimental to individuals working there. If you feel like any of the aforementioned signs apply to you, then you need to reconsider working at your current employer sooner than later.
