A job is an essential part of life if you don’t have any other form of income such as business, investment, or trading. And you need income to provide basic necessities like; food, clothing, and home, not just for yourself but also for your family. And for the extra money, you can buy your wants like a PS5, jewelry, or a fancy car.
Yes, life can be stressful when you don’t have a job. But that doesn’t mean having a job means you won’t have any stress in life. You’d still do, but at least you’d have less of it.
If you have a job or working at a company that is toxic and stressful, you might need to consider looking for a new company.
These five red flags in your job can determine whether you are in a potentially toxic work environment:
1) There is One-way Communication
Poor, negative, and one-way communication are one of the most toxic red flags in a company. When communication and teamwork are bad, you can expect a lousy output of the group as a whole or each individual that is involved. Well, some may deliver good outputs but with lesser productivity.
When there’s no good communication in your workplace, you should work on it.
How?
There are many ways, but here are some examples:
- Always give and ask for feedback.
- During a meeting, involve everyone.
- Be vocal about your suggestions and idea, or be open to opinions.
- Give daily updates, or ask for them from your team.
- Appreciate your co-workers or lead. Compliment their work.
There are times that work is stressful enough; save yourself from being stressed with the environment. Have a healthy and enjoyable workplace.
2) Conflicts Between Employees
When working as a team with someone or a group of people, disagreements and debates may occur. That’s normal, that’s okay, and that is still healthy. But like the quotation above, fighting is not healthy.
What’s the difference between debate and fighting?
A debate is a calm discussion about a specific topic. Both sides give their different opinion and provide reasons for support.
A fight is a heated argument between two or more people who are mad at each other. Both sides throw too personal shades and are out of the topic.
Conflict is something we should expect at work. And it’s best to know how to fix them and reconcile. Here are some tips:
- Be humble
- Talk it out, calmly
- Accept each other’s opinion
- Work on a solution or meet halfway
- Apologize to each other
These are easy to say and hard to do, especially during the heat of the argument. But it’s always better to work in an environment with no negativities. You’d be more productive, you’d be happier, and work is going to be a lot more enjoyable.
3) You are Being Paid Less Than Deserved
Nobody really wants to be underpaid. But some people are experiencing it. iHire asked employees to rank factors that led them to quit their job, and in their Talent Retention report in 2020, the top reason employees leave their jobs is being underpaid.
And how do you know if you are being underpaid?
Here are some examples we can learn from Indeed:
- Your salary and average salary online don’t match.
- Your responsibilities changed or increased, but your salary remains the same.
- You recently switched industries, but your salary didn’t increase.
- Similar positions (experience and education) at your company pay more.
- You are offered a position from another company with a higher salary.
If you are experiencing any of these, or maybe all of these, you should take action. You can try to negotiate your salary or look for another company that can pay you precisely what you deserve, or maybe even more.
As they always say, “Never settle for less.”
4) Your Company Has Poor Management or Bad Leadership
It is true when Marcus Buckingham, an Author, said, “People don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad managers.” According to a Get Lighthouse survey, 50% of Americans have left their jobs to get away from their manager at some point in their career. That’s big!
Gary Mottershead, President and Founder of GCP Industrial Products, gave the reason why when he said, “A bad system can destroy good people.”
Indeed, leadership and management are some of the most critical factors for a company’s success. Poor management and bad leadership can cause employees’ demotivation, stress, poor productivity, and a company’s retention rate.
Here are some examples of poor management or bad leadership:
- One-way or no communication at all.
- They think you work for them instead of they work with you.
- They have favorites.
- They are bullies.
- They don’t appreciate and even degrade you and your work.
If you have this kind of management or leader, one of the possible fixes for this is to be more open to your manager. You can email them and ask for a quick call with you. Be honest about your struggles at work. Then give them honest feedback about how they are managing you and the team. Have a healthy conversation. And both of you work for having a better relationship to have better output as a team.
It’s always better to have the best relationship not just with your co-workers, but also with your manager or employer.
5) You Are Being Bullied
Bullying is a behavior that causes emotional, mental, and sometimes physical pain to the recipient. And obviously, if we are damaged emotionally or mentally, or physically, work is affected.
You don’t look forward to working. You don’t enjoy your every day at work. You are always anxious and scared. You are being treated unfairly by co-workers or managers. Overall, you are not okay with your job.
Here are the three types of bullying:
Verbal
It’s saying or writing bad and mean things to you. It includes:
- Taunting
- Threat to cause harm
- Inappropriate comments (sexual)
Social
It’s trying to destroy your reputation or relationships with other people. It includes:
- Spreading bad rumors
- Embarrassing in public
- Leaving you out on purpose
Physical
- Hitting, kicking, punching
- Tripping
- Spitting
Bullying is a solid and valid reason to quit your job and find another company that can be more healthy. But if you’re someone who cannot afford to lose your job at the moment, here are some suggestions that may help you:
- Talk to that person who is bullying you the moment they try to. Do not let them continue to mistreat you.
- If talking to them doesn’t change their behaviors, talk to your manager about them. Explain what happens and ask for assistance.
- If it is your manager who’s bullying you, talk to HR or anyone who’s in power. Explain what happens and ask for assistance.
And if these things didn’t work out and you still can’t quit your job right away, be patient as you do your best to find a better company and work environment.
Conclusion
The world really isn’t a bed of roses. Opposition is everywhere. You will be pushed to your limit not just by the work but by the people around you. Stress is almost always present, from one problem to another.
But remember, problems always have their solutions. You just have to pick the right company you can solve it with—happily.