Five Tips for Managing a Toxic Workplace
How to cope when quitting isn’t an option
As there are ups and downs in life, our work is no different, but if going to the office starts feeling like a pain and Sundays are blurred with depression and anxiety, it is likely a sign that your workplace has become toxic.
A toxic workplace seeps out productivity and happiness with a negative effect on mental health. A workplace becomes toxic for me when I stop enjoying the work I have always loved doing.
One of the major reasons why a workplace turns toxic is due to poor hiring decisions. People make the place, and culture comes from people and policies. It is usually a combination of people and culture which turns the working experience at any place sour.
While you want to stick out and wait for better opportunities, going to the office gets progressively harder and suffocating. It becomes tougher to excel in such a place. It is sad to say, but people quit eventually because detoxification of the workplace takes a lot of time and requires replacing a large chunk of senior management, which no company (startup or otherwise) can undertake.
Here are a few things you can do to minimise friction and manage while on the lookout.
1. Document everything
Every work-related conversation with your manager or senior colleagues has to be documented. It does not matter if it was a quick 2-minute chat or a 5-minute small meeting; it has to be converted into action points and sent by email to all the relevant parties. This is important because in case of a disagreement, instead of leaving judgement of truth to a person’s character, it can be ascertained through actual proof.
2. Do not let your emotions show
In case of a disagreement or a conflict, it often happens that the conversation becomes heated because each party is trying to prove themselves right. It becomes all the more important to deal with the situation calmly and not let emotions like anger and frustration bubble to the surface. Because as soon as these emotions appear, you lose the credibility of your argument. It is also possible to get labelled as unprofessional, immature or having a low emotional tolerance. You might be deemed unsuitable for leadership positions. Hence, in the case of heated situations, it is imperative to take the highway and keep the interaction over email.
3. Limit communication to emails (avoid WhatsApp)
While you might have an emailing app, a business messenger or work assigning options available in other tools like your CRM or ERP, a toxic workplace does not segregate between work and non-work hours. People might reach out on mobile through calls, SMS or WhatsApp after working hours. WhatsApp is generally not a mode of business communication, although it is increasingly becoming part of it. WhatsApp is highly informal, and if you see your manager assigning work on WhatsApp, it is essential to dissuade him and politely ask him to email or discuss F2F in a meeting. This keeps it professional and serious.
4. Keep all the relevant stakeholders in the loop
In a toxic workplace, it usually happens that the work happens in silos. There is politics, competition and an innate desire of most people to prove that they are contributing the most. In such a scenario, your superiors or cross-functional team members might assign you work without keeping your manager in CC. It could be that they want to take the credit for it. This usually happens with the newbies in the organisation, who are still learning the tropes of the trade. Hence, you need your manager and key stakeholders in the loop to maintain transparency and manage your bandwidth.
5. Build a positive image with senior management
This one is not that easy to execute, but if the opportunity arises to meet with your super-boss, try to exude an interest in the organisation’s goals, and five-year vision, and have a handle on how you want to project your work and job role in front of the senior management. Ask relevant questions and add insights that can only come from a person working at your level. Build your value and reputation in front of them. You never know how it can help you in this toxic environment. It can provide an additional layer of job security in the frictional environment and bring credibility to your voice in case of conflicts.
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