One of the reasons I decided to go back to school is because of my experience in many toxic workplaces. I wanted to change my field and take a break from work stress.
Since starting my first part-time job, I’ve dealt with power-tripping supervisors or bosses with inappropriate behavior. Recently, a supervisor kept making inappropriate advances to me. And just a few months before, I experienced bullying from my placement.
Unfortunately, these workplace issues are not uncommon.
According to SEEK, nearly 60% of workers find themselves in toxic workplaces at some point in their careers. These behaviors damage the health and well-being of employees, often leading to dysfunctional teams and productivity loss. As a result, around 34% of workers leave their jobs.
As a young adult, I’m constantly baffled by these statistics. People have to put up with so much just to earn a paycheck and have income.
Some of these toxic workplaces constantly treat their employees as if they live in the office. Even when workers are done for the day, their workplace still expects them to respond to requests from management. My boss would regularly text and email me at 8:00 p.m., making me feel uncomfortable and anxious.
Although some places have started to negotiate policies regarding off-hours communication, this hasn’t fixed the problem. When the province of Ontario implemented the ‘right to disconnect from work’ law, many discovered loopholes. The law excludes 39% of private sector workers and does not apply to federally-regulated businesses. Furthermore, the law tends to favor the employer, which means that the employer can technically choose when an employee can disconnect.
The law shouldn’t allow employers to make this decision, especially if they already run a toxic work environment.,
Some companies have a culture of hard work and completing lots of work in a given time frame. Therefore, these companies can disregard the ‘disconnect from work’ policy and continue to push more work onto their employees. In these work environments, workers will constantly feel unappreciated.
Moreover, many other workplaces continue to allow bullying and harassment to run rampant. In the past three years, I’ve worked in at least four environments where I experienced bullying from managers, supervisors, or fellow employees. Unfortunately, over 70% of Canadians who have experienced harassment or violence at work can relate to this struggle.
That’s far too many, and I wonder why we have so many corrupt workplaces. Some may say it is because of the lack of oversight, organizational culture, or greedy managers. Others say that the work environment prioritizes individualism in general: It puts employees against each other to achieve their own goals.
But it shouldn’t end up this way.
For starters, we can make a difference as frontline workers. We can do this by reporting concerns, documenting evidence, and helping our peers with investigations. When we see one of our colleagues facing harassment, we can help by removing them from an uncomfortable space, reporting the perpetrator, and giving our colleague a safe space to voice their opinions.
Moreover, those in managerial positions can also contribute to structural change. We can create a more supportive organizational culture by providing proper training opportunities, establishing policies and procedures, and promoting a culture of responsibility and integrity. Employees should always feel supported and heard when reporting concerns.
Let’s aim to build a healthy work environment in our companies. We can do this by collaborating as a team, standing together, and feeling comfortable voicing our opinions. We should cooperate and hold each other’s backs. Because, after all, we need to be there for each other. Then, we’ll feel supported and more confident in our work, leading to a better work-life balance.
Photo by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash
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