There may be nothing worse than a toxic workplace. No one individual can eliminate it, and getting buy-in from everyone to help end the toxicity can prove next to impossible, depending on the circumstances. But how many of us feel our workplace is actually toxic?
Maybe more to the point: What exactly is a toxic workplace? Wikipedia describes it as a workplace “marked by significant drama and infighting,” which is still pretty subjective. The truth is, “toxic” is ultimately defined by each individual. Some folks thrive on gossip and rumor mongering, for instance, while others consider it a major factor in workplace toxicity.
A toxic workplace has lasting effects, and companies should take more care about cultivating a pleasant office environment. In a previous survey on Dice Insights, we asked about productivity killers. Toxic work environment tied with distractions for the top spot, with both edging out meetings. The office cliques, infighting and rumor mills prevalent in toxic work environments can be draining for nearly everyone.
Many symptoms of toxic culture can be identified before accepting a job, too. In our guide to job-interview red flags, we pointed out a disinterested interviewer or a company that only wants to hire you for one unique task is a sign of toxic culture; if they just want you to fix their issue, they’re not concerned you’ll be the right fit for their office because they may not even care about that sort of thing.
In the 2019 Dice Salary Survey, 47 percent of respondents said they want to quit their job for a place with “better working conditions.” While that could mean just about anything related to your office environment, we should appreciate that tech companies are usually not bad places to work. Nonetheless, this group seems to indicate toxic workplaces are more common than you may think.
But we want to hear from you: Is your workplace toxic? Does the drama of your workplace make you hate going into work daily? Let us know in the anonymous survey above. We’ll publish results next week, so stay tuned!
