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Are You in a Toxic Workplace? · RiseUp - Live Joy Your Way

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Today's episode is produced by my friends at WalkWest.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_01: If you're looking to grow your brand and generate leads through podcast or video production, head over to walkwest.com.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's start the show.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Rise up, live joy your way.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: From emotional intelligence through cognitive distortions, certified life and wellness coach Comedy Wood is on a mission to help people see the magnificence of their own unique human spirit.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Through these small bites of self-visualization and self-confidence, you can have healthy relationships, success in business and career, and live the life you want to live.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Rise up, live joy your way.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: Hi there and welcome to another episode of Rise Up, Live Joy Your Way.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: Whether it's morning, afternoon, or evening when you have tuned in to this episode, I just want to take a moment to thank you for taking some time out of your day to spend with me.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: So something that has come up root uh recently in a lot of my client sessions is talking about the workplace and recognizing when and if there might be a toxic workplace at hand.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: So I just wanted to spend a few minutes today talking about some signs of a toxic workplace and just different ways that we might be able to handle it.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: Every job does carry some level of stress.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: However, toxic workplace environments do cause us to feel anxious, depressed, and sometimes can lead to physical illness.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: So if you think that you might be in a work atmosphere or a job that demands uh extraordinary extraordinary amounts of stress, or you're finding yourself in a place of feeling really depressed when you go to work or really showing signs of maybe burnout, it might be uh time to just take stock, just take note of whether there might be signs of a workplace environment that is more toxic than it is healthy.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: The there was actually a um a study or a report that came out from the Workplace Bullying Institute of 2021.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: They had a stat that came out that said 30% of surveyed workers have direct experience being bullied at work.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: So uh let's just dive into some of the signs of a toxic workplace.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: And it's not to say that all of these mean that you're in a toxic workplace, it's just when we when we notice some, we can slow it down and take stock and just sort of take notice as to what's really happening.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: So the very first one is leadership, ineffective or bad leadership.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: So leaders who provide a nurturing and positive work environment or they have open communication with their employees or team members, they connect with them, they really do try to set clear goals and expectations and tr and show appreciation for their employees and team members, are you know that that would be what we would consider a positive work environment.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: However, when we don't have leadership that uh engages in honest communication or doesn't try to actually connect with their team members, or maybe there are unclear goals, or it feels like the bar is constantly being moved, that could just be an indication that something could be could be leading to you or could be considered toxic.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_01: So you have to slow it down and check in and recognize is it possible that my leader here is creating a toxic work environment where I don't actually know what my goals are or if the bar continually moves, that could lead to burnout.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just really important to take note of that.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: Another sign of uh a potential toxic workplace environment could just be clicks.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we all remember from our middle school days, uh the the groups, the the clicks that bull that existed, it's somewhat of the same concept.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: If in your work environment you're seeing a lot of clickiness or just lots of drama, gossipy behavior, constantly feeling excluded from a group, it might be time to just sort of take note of that and ask yourself, is this really the the is this really a healthy situation for me?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: A couple others, lack of enthusiasm.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: Lack of enthusiasm and passion about work does exist oftentimes when employees do not feel valued, uh, not just financially but professionally as well.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: So when there is a low working morale, this can create disconnectedness amongst team members, which can create that sense of toxicity.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and it does lead to somewhat bad attitudes, which again creates the low-spirited mood, and therefore uh working towards a common goal becomes more and more difficult.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: Lack of communication is a big one in terms of a toxic work environment just because we need communication amongst not just leaders and employees but also team members, because that creates mutual trust and is really truly the backbone of being able to collectively work to produce work as one.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so when we don't have that clear communication with each other and we don't feel like we can actually be true and honest with each other, that can really lead to conflicts and lead to toxicity.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: If the work environment that you're in seems to have a high employee turnover, that might be an example of something not right with the environment at the workplace.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I mean, people leave jobs for many reasons, but when there is a high turnover at one specific company, one should just sort of slow it down and take note of what could be going on behind the scenes.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: Minimal growth opportunities, a healthy work environment would generally promote uh and motivate an employee to want to grow and to continue to develop professionally.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: So when you see a work environment where there are minimal growth opportunities, this could be an indication that there might be some toxicity kind of lurking in the background.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: So just another example of a sign that could be uh one to take note of if you're trying to ascertain and figure out whether or not your the work environment that you're in is a healthy one for you.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: And then finally, work life balance.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: Work-life balance is different for every single person, but it is an essential part of self-care and well-being.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: So if you are in an environment that does not seem to promote you to have a personal life balance in addition to your work life, it might be an indication that there is some toxicity there.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: There should never be a time where, um, well, I should say never, I shouldn't say never because, you know, I always say I I do try to keep myself from saying never uh because we actually never we don't really know what the future holds.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: However, if there is a situation where your work environment uh leads you to feel guilty or ashamed for not being at work, it is probably an indication that something is not quite right within the environment because this can lead to burnout.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: And it's really important to just slow it down and and take take note for yourself of whether or not that's the environment that you would like to be in.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: So, how do we handle a toxic work environment or a toxic workplace?
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: One of the very first things is uh, and I talk about this all the time, is mindfulness.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's really important to be in the present moment.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: We cannot undo the past, and if we constantly are worrying about the future, we are basically future tripping and we're not even we're we're not living in the here and now.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really important to just be in the here and now.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, if you're able to practice meditation, if you are um if you're able to give yourself that time, it's a great way to just help deal with stress, which can help prevent burnout.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, another really important way that we can handle situations when we find ourselves in these toxic workplace environments is to maintain positive relationships.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: So if we can find people within the workplace that we do and can have a positive relationship with, it's really important to uh um value those and to continue to grow those.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: And also to have positive relationships outside of work where you can have communication and dialogue around what is happening at work and you can feel supported.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: Setting boundaries, even in a toxic work environment, it's important to set those boundaries.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: So, for instance, if there's a lot of gossip, it's setting maybe a boundary around not engaging in that.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then finally, sometimes we just have to make the choice that we need to remove ourselves from that toxic work environment.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: If it's just we recognize that it's it's unhealthy for us on both an emotional level and physical level.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: And like a relationship, a toxic work, like a toxic relationship, recovering from being in a toxic workplace environment does take some time.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's not something that we just quickly get over.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_01: It's we're not light switches that turn off and on.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: So it's giving yourself time to heal from whatever you may have experienced in that work environment and just recognizing how how maybe uh how you might want to shift in chain, how you might want to show up differently in the next job, or what you might want to look for, and what questions you might want to ask when looking for a new job, so that you're aware of what dynamic you're getting into.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: Those are just some side notes as to how to how to move forward after being in a workplace, a toxic workplace environment.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: The reason why I'm bringing this up is because as this, as I've been talking to clients and we've been talking about moving up, you know, a lot of my clients are are high high performers and they have a lot of aspirations when it comes to their career goals.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: And there are times when the environment is not allowing for them to continue to grow.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's really important for you to just give yourself permission to ask yourself what's working for you and what do you truly want and what do you know to be true about yourself.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: When we ask those things, we're able to recognize that we do have choices and we don't have to put up with toxicity.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: We can make choices that that help move us forward.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: If you'd like to discuss this or any other topics where you might need clarity or just you feel that you've been stuck, feel free to book a time to speak with me at any time at chatwithcomedy.com.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: And until next time, I'm Comedy Wood, have a great rest of your day.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to Rise Up, Live Joy Your Way.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: For more information, book a chat with comedy at www.chatwithcomedy.com or visit her website at www.comedywood.com.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: You can also find comedy on Facebook or Instagram.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: Username it's authentic me.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening.