Welcome

This is the third part in the Toxic Workplace Series.

Check out part 1: Red Flags of a Toxic Workplace here

Check out part 2: Why We’re Susceptible to Toxic Workplaces here

When you hear the term “toxic workplace” it can conjure up all kinds of imagery from the boss that yells and screams to gossip and backstabbing. Stress, exhaustion and burnout are all commonly attributed to unhealthy work environments, but their true impact is often much more invasive than we realize.

Our physical, mental, and emotional health all suffer at the hands of a toxic workplace.

I know this all too well as do many of my former colleagues. Weight gain, anxiety, panic attacks, dysfunctional relationships with alcohol, heart attacks, mysterious gastrointestinal symptoms that never went away, thyroid issues, you name it, and I can either claim it or know at least three people who could.

While leaving a workplace can be daunting, especially with the current economic conditions, staying can actually result in a higher cost monetarily than if you were to leave and take a job that paid you a bit less (doctor visits, tests, prescriptions, etc. add up!)

“They should give a prescription for Xanax with this job” or, The Mental and Emotional Health Impacts of Toxic Work Environments.

That quoted phrase was from a former colleague whose anxiety ratcheted up as the months went by. This was so commonplace where we worked it became accepted as normal, the pathological nature of it overlooked like a light layer of dust on a bookcase.

Depression and anxiety are two of the main mental health issues that are tightly coupled with toxic workplaces. A 2023 survey reported that 58% of people who worked in a toxic workplace considered their mental health as “low” or “poor”.  

The constant barrage of toxic behaviors, from yelling to nothing ever being good enough to expectations that you’ll be available 24/7, will inevitably start to induce feelings of anxiety over job stability, depression that you’re not good enough, and continuously chip away at your self-esteem until you have nothing left.

Trying to manage your anxiety and depression in healthy ways, like exercise, meditation, etc. is hard to do when you’re working long hours and have to go home and be a parent, etc. It’s a heck of a lot easier to grab a glass of wine or three and veg out in front of the TV with a pizza than it is to feel motivated to go to yoga, especially when you’re exhausted.

Being in a chronic state of stress, anxiety, and depression also takes an enormous toll on our physical bodies too.

The Physical Health Impact of Staying in a Toxic Workplace

Physical health often declines when we work at corporate jobs, simply because we’re sitting so much. Once we pile on the implications of a toxic workplace however, the impact to our physical health can grow exponentially.

My thyroid ended up decimated after years of chronic stress, another co-worker went through extensive testing for multiple sclerosis only to find out her symptoms were due to the stress of her position.

Most of us gained at least 20lbs. Headaches, migraines, and ulcers were common, and it wasn’t too unusual to see someone wearing a heart monitor for a few days to try and suss out why they kept having palpitations.

Since the company we worked at wanted to keep us working as much as possible, they’d bring in lunch which, while they were generous spreads, were not healthy options.

While they offered a discounted gym membership it was hard to find the time to go when you’re working 8 am-6pm and commuting 45 minutes each way.

High levels of stress have been implicated in everything from heart disease, to IBD, to cancer and autoimmune diseases.

When it comes down to it, staying put in a toxic workplace is like drinking an asbestos-arsenic smoothie. It’s going to wreck you and you’re going to be the one that suffers while your employer keeps pushing you further and further into a hole you might not be able to dig yourself out of.

The Impact on Our Relationships

Now that our mental and physical health are in shambles, let’s talk about how this impacts our relationships.

Relationships with friends, family, partners, and children are integral to our health as humans. Studies cite the importance of connection in staving off disease, mental decline, and helping us lead mentally and physically healthy lives.

Toxic workplaces undermine our relationships and connections, especially if they involve people outside of the company. They want us all to themselves and as a result our relationships suffer.

Missing out on kids’ sport activities, cancelled dates, spending dinner answering emails on your phone, getting home late, snapping at people because your stress is overflowing and looking for an outlet, feeling disconnected, and even divorce are all ways working for an unhealthy company show up in our relationships.

When we cannot be present with our loved ones, they tend to drift away, leaving us without a much-needed source of comfort, love, and support, in our lives.

So many people I worked with lamented that their relationships with their children were not what they’d like them to be, and they resorted to buying them whatever they wanted as a way of showing their love since they were often not there.

There’s a quote that floats around the internet about how if you die your employer will be looking to replace you tomorrow. The fact is, no job or employer cares about you as much as your family and friends do.

Bottom Line: The Long-Term Costs of Staying in a Toxic Workplace Too Astronomical to Justify It

It’s not worth it. Truly. When you look back on your life, you’re going to regret the time you spent at work chasing a promotion that would never come and answering emails to a CEO who never thought of you once you left the company because you were easily disposable and replaceable.

Your mental and physical health can suffer for years, and to be blunt, you might never be able to reclaim in full the health you lost.

Your job needs to serve YOU too. There needs to be a reciprocal relationship between you and your company. And if there isn’t, it’s time to move on. Your body, mind, and relationships will thank you for it.

Let me know in the comments below if you have anything to add, because I know there’s a lot when it comes to the effects of toxic workplaces.

Hugs,

Elena