Time to Quit if You See Any of These 7 Signs Of a Toxic Workplace

If any of these resonate with you, it could be time for you to quit
An amazing thing happens when you decide to quit your job: Co-workers who you never really spoke to, decide to invite you to a conference room and tell you everything they hate about the job.
When I quit a toxic workplace early in my career, I talked to so many other disgruntled co-workers, it felt like I was giving free therapy sessions. I've gotten good at understanding when a workplace is toxic and what signs you should be looking for.
Here are seven signs that you should be looking for a new job.

  1. You're afraid to tell the truth during a meeting.

I once had a 2 slide presentation to an executive committee. I didn't get to the 2nd slide before the CIO started yelling at me. The issue? I told the truth about the status of a project. He didn't like to hear the answer, so instead of asking how we can fix it, he decided to yell at me.
I got feedback from other co-workers that they've learned to "massage" the truth and only tell the CIO what he wants to hear.
So, essentially, we have an entire group of leaders who are not telling the truth about their projects. What a waste of a time.

  1. You're unable to decide without getting approval from 5 people.

I'm OK with getting approvals on some things. That's normal for work. But, when you need to get approval for everything, even the smallest of details, you will start to suffer at work.
5-minute decisions become five slide presentations to an executive committee that only meets once a quarter. No thank you.

  1. You get emails at nights and on weekends--and are expected to answer.

If you want to be a night and weekend warrior, go for it. Nobody is stopping you. But, when you send emails at night and then follow up with a text to see if I got your email, something is wrong.
Sure, if it's crucial, text me. If you do it three times a week, then, Houston, we have a problem.

  1. You take three deep breaths before you go to work every morning

When you walk into your office, do you take deep breaths?
One deep breath -- Normal.
Two deep breaths -- Not recommended, but keep an eye on it.
Three deep breaths -- You're miserable. Look for a new job.

  1. You get a text from your boss every morning (before your coffee)

I thought the world agreed that we need coffee before we can function?
Nothing grinds my gears than a text message every morning asking for the status of a project that was included in the status report multiple times the day before.
Don't text before coffee. It's not fair to anyone.

  1. You've stopped your daily routines

Have you stopped working out? Have you stopped getting your coffee and bagel at your favorite coffee shop? Have you stopped writing or reading? Have you stopped going out with friends?
If you notice that your daily routines have become disrupted, something is wrong. You should look into the core cause of that issue.

  1. Your boss doesn't stand up for you.

This is the nail in the coffin. If your boss doesn't stand up for you, you have no power in the company. Either you fight fire with fire, or you look for another job.
So, now what?
Many people make the mistake of staying in a toxic workplace too long. Some stay a few months too long, and some wait 20 years too long.
You can attempt to fix the company culture and fix the environment, but just be forewarned that people are hard to change and organizations are even harder to change.
Make sure that you're doing what you're doing for all the right reasons. If you have any of the signs above, maybe you should look for something new.
Tamer ElSagheer
Skillinside

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Make-Or-Break Career Skill No One Talks About

Image
It goes without saying that you have to be responsible and alert to succeed in your career, no matter what your career path is. You have to be reliable, of course, and you have to be a good team member. No one can really act surprised if they miss out on a promotion and their boss says "We all like you, Stan, but you have a tendency to let us down when it matters, and that's not something a supervisor can do. I gave the promotion to Anjali, because I can always rely on her in the clinch." There is another, critical career skill that makes or breaks careers and that we don't talk about as often as we should. It's a muscle that we don't grow just by getting older or by going to school or even by taking on more and more responsibility over time. It is possible to reach a ripe old age without growing this muscle, and it always a shame when that happens. At Human Workplace we call this must-have career muscle "Fast Learning." What does it mean...
Read more

22 Characteristics of High-Potential Employees

Image
  Even if your team is made up solely of supremely talented individuals, there are always a few employees who stand out from the pack.  According to the  Harvard Business Review ,  these high-potential employees  account for an average of 5% of any company’s workforce.  High-potential employees (HiPos) excel in their current roles, but they also possess the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in managerial positions and senior roles, too. Importance of identifying top talent for employers High-potential employees need to know that you recognize their potential. In fact, a  recent study  showed that 77% of HiPos feel that being recognized as high-potential talent is important to them.  These workers want help in identifying a career path and they also want support in carving that path. For these reasons, it’s critical that managers identify HiPos early on in order to retain them and keep them engaged.  Employers who identify top tale...
Read more

Eight Entrepreneurs Share Their Best Sales Closing Technique

Image
Many people who work in sales face a lot of rejection, especially early in their careers. That’s why there’s no better feeling than closing the deal with a new prospect. As you learn and grow as a salesperson, you start to figure out the most effective techniques for moving a potential lead down the funnel and turning them into a paying customer. We asked members of   Young Entrepreneur Council   to share their best tips for closing a sale, along with anecdotes of how they’ve put it into practice. Here’s what they had to say. 1. Paint A Picture Starring The Customer   The best way to close a sale in my experience is to gather a great deal of information about a customer, tie that information to aspects of a particular product/service, then create a visual in the customer’s head of how implementing this product/service can benefit their lives. This was an extremely effective technique I found in one of my earliest jobs selling cable subscriptions. I would ask ...
Read more