Is a Toxic Work Environment Actually Worth the Experience?
Advice from an Executive.
I had a call recently from a colleague I used to work with 4 years ago. He needed some advice on the next steps for his career and was baffled by how his work environment turned toxic!
I was surprised by who turned radioactive but wasn’t shocked that it happened. I worked at the company for two years in their finance department before I was fired for not getting vaxxed.
Being in a management role, I was privy to the corporate politics. I dealt with it and could smell the toxicity from a mile away even though I mostly worked from home.
The Big Boys Club… You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours... Happy hours after work… Too many cooks in the kitchen and too many men with little man syndrome. But I digress…
After my colleague explained the situation and how he got dumped on and backstabbed, he asked what I would do.
Frankly, I was surprised he was still there! He’s eager to learn, smart, a team player, and gets shit done. We worked on a couple of projects together while I was there and if I could hire him at my current company, I would!
My Head is Spinning
So what do you do when you can’t trust your team or management? The team you manage has a bad apple that has no problem crying to HR about your tone or the way you look at her.
What do you do when you feel like your back is against the wall but you’ve invested a lot of time and energy and received little recognition? You’ve been sidelined but managers you thought were your friends.
What do you do when all the good people leave the company and there are only sheep and yes men (and women) working? After all, you need a job because you have a family to support. Your wife just had a baby!
What do you do when you can’t take a pay cut nor can you find another job right away? We are barely managing with what we have now.
“Shera, what the hell do you do when you are stuck and f’n miserable”???
You Are Making Me Sick
When you are young in your career, it’s very hard to walk away from your blood, sweat, and tears because you’re still learning and gaining the necessary experience for your resume.
Plus you don’t want to look like a “job hopper”.
I get it. I’ve been there.
I stayed in several jobs too long because I wasn’t finished with what I started nor did I want to start over again with a new company.
Some places I previously worked at made me sick!
I was “working my way up the ladder damn it” and I wasn’t about to start over! Especially as a woman but that’s another discussion…
Is it Worth The Headache?
It depends.
And I don’t say that to brush off the question. It truly depends on your situation and what you can handle. Decisions were much easier to make when I was single and renting a room versus married with a family and having to pay a mortgage!
But is staying worth the headache even though you are screaming inside?
Possibly.
It’s good to show longevity in a job but what’s important is to learn and show your accomplishments! If you are going to stay in a toxic work environment for the paycheck, do not stay very long. It’s not worth it.
On the other hand, like in my colleague’s situation, his resume was lacking in specific areas and he needed the experience and accomplishments. He felt he needed to stay so he could learn as much as possible.
What The Hell Do I Know?
I’m a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and have been in the C-Suite for several years and have worked closely with C-Suite executives for more years than I would like to share.
It can be brutal with corporate politics. While I’ve worked for some great companies, I’ve also worked for some pretty shitty ones.
I was in his position before but now I am on the other side of the table interviewing candidates just like him. I have taken the road he is currently on, so he asked me for advice.
If it were me? I’d quit.
Peace out suckers! You are not worth my time and energy which is why when I was fired, it was a blessing in disguise.
But for my colleague? My advice was…
It’s Time to Pivot
If you absolutely cannot stand the department you are in but need some time to find another job or feel like you have unfinished business, try transferring to another department.
The company is big enough and if you can stomach the toxicity a little longer, then maybe it would be best to transfer to another position in a different department until you accomplish your goals and find another job.
That way you can learn something new to add to your resume and hopefully relieve yourself from the shit show of the finance department. And when you are ready for me to review your resume, let me know.
That was the gist of our conversation for the most part. Hopefully, I was able to help him. I’ll reach out to get an update soon.
Navigating one’s career can be challenging when you are trying to learn and grow but is it worth the headache and stress of working in a toxic work environment?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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