Today, as protection professionals at Allprotec®, we are talking about a topic that affects many of us: a toxic work environment. Everyone deserves to work in an environment that is supportive and conducive. Unfortunately, toxicity can integrate into our working world as a behavior and affect our performance and well-being. In this post, we'll find out how to recognize and escape a toxic work environment.
Communication & Transparency
A lack of communication and transparency is a clear sign of a toxic work environment. Feeling excluded or not sharing important information openly can lead to conflict. Negative conversations about colleagues and the constant criticism of other competencies contribute to the destabilization of trust. Without communication and transparency, it is difficult to build a respectful and trusting relationship.
Leadership & Conduct
Toxic leadership behavior not only affects us directly, but also has a negative impact on the overall working atmosphere and company performance. A study shows that 85% of companies exhibit toxic leadership behaviors. It doesn't matter if the company is big or small – destructive leadership is everywhere.
The colleagues & the gossip
A toxic work environment can also be created by individual colleagues who exhibit toxic behavior and this is not prevented. And toxic behavior is contagious. Employees who suffer from unfriendly behavior from their colleagues also behave more unfriendly towards others.
Made mistakes? No way!
A toxic work environment is often characterized by a lack of error culture. Instead of learning from mistakes and taking responsibility, people in toxic environments like to point the finger at others.
A toxic work environment affects not only our well-being, but also the overall company culture and performance. Companies must take care to combat toxic behavior to ensure long-term success.
When you're in a toxic work environment, there are steps you can take.
- Reflect on yourself and try to refrain from the toxic behavior.
- Seek support from trusted persons in the company or look for external help to deal with the situation.
- However, it is best to talk openly about conflicts or problems and actively look for solutions.
- If all else fails, you can still consider changing companies to find a healthy work environment.
As employees & management, it is up to us to protect the working environment and take measures to break out of a toxic environment. Because everyone deserves to work in a place that is supportive and conducive.
It is important to note that mental health must be included in the risk assessment. In addition to the provision of suitable personal protective equipment (PPE), mental well-being in the workplace is also one of the tasks of the management level. In order to be able to evaluate the developing market and already existing risk assessments of psychological stress in administration and operations, there is useful specialist information. These help to assess psychological stress both in terms of content and in terms of the quality of the process. The project group "Recommendations for the Assessment of Mental Stress" from the DGUV's "Psyche and Health in the World of Work" department has compactly summarised relevant concepts and findings from current publications, including many application examples.
If you would like to receive further helpful tips and application examples, we recommend the DGUV information sheet as the protection professionals: "Psychological stress – the step of risk assessment".
Ensuring mental health in the workplace is crucial, and incorporating these aspects into risk assessment is an important step towards a healthy working environment for all. If we are aware of our psychological stress and take appropriate measures, we can actively contribute to avoiding a toxic work environment and protecting our mental health.