A toxic work environment is something many employees cite as one of the quickest reasons they’d leave a job. Although it’s hard to pin down what this means, and everyone may have a different opinion, a toxic work environment is a space where nobody feels safe to work and will push the best employees away time and time again.
You’re Ignored and Talked Over
If you’re an employee and feel constantly ignored and talked over by everyone else: it’s annoying and dehumanizing. There are times when female employees are passed over for promotion just because they’re pregnant. Pregnancy discimination is against the law and should be dealt with accordingly. If it gets out of hand, employees may file a lawsuit. If you’re an employee and feel constantly ignored and talked over by everyone else: it’s annoying and dehumanizing.
Workers deserve to be listened to, especially when it comes to ideas about how the company should be run since they’re the ones with first-hand knowledge about how it affects productivity and their ability to do their job.
There’s Constant Workplace Gossip
Workplace gossip can be fun in small amounts as long as it’s harmless, but when the entire office is in an uproar over a rumor, it’s unhealthy and unsafe for employees. Workplaces are not high schools and shouldn’t be treated like spaces where people can act like teenagers who want to take each other down a peg.
Employers can dissuade this by using team-building exercises and different ways to show everyone that they don’t have to like each other to treat each other as human beings.
There’s Low Morale in Employees
Are the employees sullen or withdrawn? Does it feel like everyone at the office is doing the bare minimum and don’t care about what the outcome looks like? If so, this could be a case of major morale missing and may lead to employees quitting or leaving the job and seeking out something more interesting.
If this is because of how hiring or promotion practices are done, you’ll quickly see a jump in employment discrimination cases within the company.
Policies Seem Nonsensical and Too Controlling
Some workplace policies can feel more like power plays than actual policies that help employees. In 2021 that’s most easily seen by companies that functioned fine with work from home and yet still forced workers to come back to the office despite protest. Workers want to understand why decisions are made and want to have a say in them.
Leadership Doesn’t Work With Employees.
Does leadership within the company ignore everything employees bring up, work against their best interests, and lay down rules instead of starting conversations? This might look like mandatory overtime for a week without asking who wants it or discussing it with employees prior.
This can leave employees feeling like they don’t matter, and their opinion doesn’t matter, and they will have them go the company quickly. Employees are people who want to be treated as such, and despite being treated like a number.
Companies Need Their Employees to Thrive
Whether you’re an employee considering quitting your job or a company worried about why employees are leaving: it’s important to remember how vital it is to treat employees well. These workers are the first in contact with customers and are the company’s face; they deserve to be respected.
