Bad business vibes: Here’s how to navigate toxicity in the workplace

During the recruitment stage, employers often present themselves to potential new hires as “one big happy family” made up of smiling faces and welcoming attitudes across all departments. Upon actually accepting said position, however, it’s quite common for new employees to quickly discover the reality of their new working situation is very different.

Toxicity in the workplace certainly isn’t a new phenomenon. That being said, research conducted in recent years does suggest rates of incivility among co-workers are on the rise. One study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found employees returning to offices after working remotely for extended periods during the pandemic are “out of practice” on how to deal with others in a personable way, which has led to an uptick in incivility across cubicles and workspaces all over the country. Meanwhile, a survey from about a year ago encompassing over 1,000 U.S. workers reports 69% of respondents have been in a toxic work environment at some point and 1 in 5 said they were currently dealing with a toxic job situation at the time of the poll.

While it can certainly be annoying when the WiFi goes down or the printer is on the fritz, no workplace turns toxic due to the technological tools at hand or the interior design. For better or worse, and for the purposes of this article we’ll be focusing on the worst, a hostile workplace starts and begins with the people. Entering a boardroom full of toxic co-workers may sound like a worst case scenario to some, but that’s reality every Monday through Friday for many others. 

It’s easy to connect the corporate dots and guess that a toxic work environment is hardly conducive to maximum effort and productivity, but the tolls of a tense office can potentially extend far beyond the spreadsheet. A research initiative published in The British Medical Journal examining hostile offices noted an astounding 300% increased risk of depression among employees working in such environments.

Defining the toxic co-worker

Before detailing how best to deal with a hostile work situation, it’s probably a good idea to explain the classic characteristics of a toxic colleague. Such individuals come in a variety of personalities.

Some routinely take credit for work they had nothing or little to do with, ignore feedback, and generally work their hardest to avoid putting in any effort at all. Others gossip all day, and constantly make passive-aggressive, underhanded, or demeaning comments toward others. Then, of course, there are the office liars, gaslighters, and kiss-ups. Finally, in many cases it’s actually the boss or another employee in a position of power who is spreading toxicity through the workplace. Toxic bosses often abuse their title and position to belittle, excessively micromanage, or assign insane workloads to lower-level workers.

How to navigate a toxic workplace

• Establish boundaries: Confronting another person you’re not getting along with is never fun, but it’s worth approaching the co-worker you’re having issues with in a non-confrontational manner to talk about what’s going on. Whether it’s too much gossiping or failing to pull their weight during a team project, making a transparent effort to address the issue and set a few boundaries may be all it takes to solve the problem.

• Avoid accusations: People rarely react well to accusations and aggressiveness. When you speak with a toxic co-worker, be sure to do so in a friendly manner. You may even want to start the conversation by highlighting a positive aspect or two of their personality or work contributions before diving into constructive feedback. 

• Focus on what you can control: It isn’t always possible to avoid the toxicity being spread by a co-worker. After all, in an office setting everyone is fairly close to each other at all times. Alternatively, one can’t simply tune out or ignore a toxic or abusive boss. Still, do your best to keep your eyes on the proverbial prize despite others’ best efforts at distraction or annoyance. Prioritizing your own assignments and what you can control will help you avoid being drawn into toxic situations.

• Sometimes helping hurts: Certain toxic employees love passing their work onto others under the cover of asking for help or assistance. A few tips or walkthroughs here and there is totally normal, but if a co-worker is asking you for guidance day in and day out, it’s time to stop the codependence. Your energy is better spent on your own work and goals.

• Talk to your boss or manager: If a co-worker or group of colleagues continue to impede your work days despite your best efforts to tame the toxicity, it may be time to bring the matter to higher-ups. Any good manager will want to know of a major issue festering under the surface among their team, and together the two of you may be able to conceive of an effective solution. Of course, this tip falls flat if the toxic worker in question is your boss. This brings us to our final suggestion.

Always put yourself first: At the end of the day, even a great job is ultimately just a job. If you’ve tried everything you can think of, and still can’t escape a bad situation five days per week, it may be time to consider exploring new career opportunities. Even a dream position can turn into a nightmare, and no job, no matter how lucrative or respected, is worth sacrificing your overall wellbeing and mental health.