How To Deal With A Toxic Work Environment (7 Proven Tips)

Working in a negative work environment can be harmful to your mental and physical health.

In 2021, 79.3 million U.S. workers are affected by toxic workplaces and 13% of these American workers reported weekly exposure to workplace abuse.

U.S. data shows 6.0% are physical violence at work and 41.4% are non-physical form of workplace bullying.

A toxic work environment is a mental torture that causes anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and other health issues.

57% of people report leaving work feeling exhausted, and toxic colleagues or coworkers are is often the source of that stress.

If you are in a toxic work environment, it might be a sign for you to quit your job.

How To Deal With a Toxic Work Environment

A toxic work environment is usually due to bad leadership that leads to poor communication between colleagues, a culture of cliques, exclusion, and gossipy behavior.

Even if you want to quit your job and change your work environment, it will take time, as finding a job is not easy.

Here are a few things you can do when dealing with a toxic work environment.

1. Leave your work stress at work

Leaving your work-related stuff back at the office is the first step to creating boundaries between your work and your life after work.

Often, we vent our frustration to our partner about how much we dislike our work.

Be conscious to avoid talking about your work related stress.

Try to talk about topics other than your toxic co-workers or bad boss.

Talking about things that you can’t control will only increase your stress and make your life miserable even after work.

Or worst, a toxic work environment might lead to depression.

Creating your own work-life balance can help keep you sane in a toxic work environment.

2. Create a work schedule

Staying focused on your work and not getting affected by the toxic atmosphere is probably the hardest.

Keeping a work schedule prevents you from getting distracted and helps you to accomplish your work.

How to create a work schedule?

1. Write down every task. Write down both personal and professional tasks that you want to accomplish during a normal work week.
2. Identify priorities. Go through each of your tasks and rank them according to priorities.
3. Identify the frequency. Write down the frequency of each task.
4. Group similar tasks. Grouping similar tasks together will help increase your work efficiency.
5. Create a weekly chart. Putting all your information in a weekly chart will allow you to understand what other tasks you’ll need to do ahead of time.
6. Be flexible. Be flexible to update your work schedule when required.

3. Be around co-workers who are similar to you

Even when there are many toxic people in your workplace, there are always a few co-works who are good. These colleagues dislike the toxic environment just as much as you.

There are still many coworkers who want to have a positive working environment where they can be productive and able to perform in their work.

Developing friendship with people who feels the same way as you can help you survive the toxic environment.

With them, you can even fix the toxic work environment and create a more positive work experience.

Moral support can be very important, especially in a negative workplace.

4. Take up a hobby or interest

Do something you are passionate about which is unrelated to your work.

These hobbies or interests will help you find purpose in life to combat the drama you’ve faced in your 9 to 5 workday.

You might even build a side hustle and create your own business with your new hobby.

Finding fulfillment in life can help you both mentally and emotionally.

5. Know how to confront if necessary

In a toxic work environment, sometimes it is unavoidable that you may meet with a highly stressful one-on-one conversation.

Know that you should never focus any confrontation directed at the people but on the issue itself.

How to confront someone at your workplace?

1. Know when to speak up. Always pick your battles. Don’t choose confrontation over small issues. Safety and development are the two reasons why a confrontation might be required.
2. Know your timing. If you are around a lot of people, this might not be the best time to disagree with your boss or manager. Having a confrontation at the right time can have an impact on the result of the confrontation.
3. Know the location. Not every place is a good place to start the confrontation. If confrontation happens in their space, the person may feel attacked. If confrontation happens in your space, they may feel you have the upper hand. Finding a neutral ground like a café or empty conference room to speak will be much preferred.
4. Keep it simple. Don’t beat around the bush when you want to tackle the issue. Keep the conversation simple and straight to the issue. Keeping it simple on the topic you want to discuss will prevent any unnecessary misunderstanding.
5. Know when to stop the conversation. If the conversation turns ugly, and they start to yell or get too emotional, stop the conversation. If the issue cannot be solved with a one-on-one conversation, it might be helpful to bring in someone who can offer an objective take on the situation, such as your supervisor, or human resource at work to help resolve the issue.

6. Document everything

Save all emails and record minutes from your meetings. These documents will save you from any disputes on agreements and discussions.

Although, this will take a lot of work, and may seem to be quite troublesome.

If you need to file a complaint or reference a discussion, these pieces of evidence are ready.

7. Plan for an exit

When you know you are in a toxic environment, it is time for you to plan for your future.

You’ll have 2 choices.

1. Do something to change the toxic work culture.
2. Quit and move to somewhere with the better work culture.

If you’ve decided to stay, you have to keep positive when things get rough.

If you’ve decided to leave, you have to consider updating your resume and cover letter.

You’ll need to be well prepared before you decided to quit your job.

This can help you in your recovery from a job loss.

Eventually, you will get a new job that is better and makes you happier.

Most importantly, you have to plan for your future and don’t make any decisions on impulse.

What Is Considered a Toxic Work Environment?

A toxic work environment is defined as any workplace where the atmosphere, the people, the culture, the work, or any combination of these lead to a serious negative impact on your work life.

If you are in a workplace where the environment cause you to feel insecure, or bad about yourself, you might be in a toxic environment.

Generally, an unhealthy work environment is created by toxic colleagues which lead to low morale, constant stress, negativity, complaints, physical sickness, a high turnover rate, and even bullying at the workplace.

PS. Also, check out the Signs of a toxic workplace you shouldn’t ignore!

Planning Your Job Exit Strategy

A good job exit strategy is to remove yourself from your current job with grace and professionalism, hopefully with a severance package.

Knowing when to quit and how to quit your job professionally so that you don’t burn any bridges will be essential.

Often, it is better to plan ahead before you give your boss your resignation letter.

Thus, it is advisable to “upgrade” yourself by taking some online courses so that you can become more hirable.

We’ve handpicked some of the most popular affordable online courses you might be interested in. Click the online courses below to find out more.