If your job is making you miserable, there’s a good chance you’re working in a hostile environment.
In an ideal world, everyone would love their job and enjoy the company of their coworkers. After all, the average American spends about 7.7 hours at work, amounting to a whopping 2009 hours every year. Sadly, though, that’s not always the case.
Sometimes, a workplace can slowly transform into a negative or unhealthy environment filled with turmoil and dysfunction. An egotistical job, rude coworkers, an unsafe or unpleasant office, and unfair pay or lack of benefits can create an atmosphere of hostility that begets serious disruptions to the culture and morale of an organization.
Of course, many of the consequences of working in a toxic environment are pretty obvious: low productivity, high employee turnover, and chronic stress — while others are not quite as clear-cut. Here are three scenarios that can result from working in a hostile environment.
Mental Health Problems
Whether you work at an office, a bank, a construction site, or anywhere in between, all jobs carry some level of stress. And a little stress is not necessarily a bad thing. Healthy levels of stress can help you stay focused and motivated, increasing your performance and boosting brainpower. On the flip side, people who report no stress at all are more likely to become easily bored and detached from their feelings, unable to connect with themselves and others on an emotional level.
However, there’s a big difference between healthy, motivational stress and the kind of chronic unrest that keeps you up at night and makes you dread going to work in the morning.
A toxic work environment that doesn’t value its employees’ psychological well-being is a breeding ground for high stress and poor mental health. In fact, a recent study found that working at a company that fosters a hostile environment, either through toxic leadership, bullying, or prioritizing “blame culture” over positive feedback and teamwork, increases your risk of developing depression by a massive 300%.
Other negative mental health effects of a toxic working environment include:
- Extreme anxiety about going to work every day
- Poor self-esteem
- Insomnia
- Mood swings
- Irritability
- Unhealthy coping mechanisms, like gambling, substance abuse, negative self-talk
Workplace Accidents
Working in a hostile environment causes employees to become distracted, detached, and overexerted, which are all potential triggers for workplace accidents. Take poor sleep, for example. People who work in hostile environments with high levels of stress report having trouble falling or staying asleep at night, feeling exhausted in the morning, and having difficulties staying focused throughout the day.
According to the Sleep Foundation, overly sleepy workers are 70% more likely to be involved in workplace accidents, like slips, motor vehicle accidents, fires or explosions, and falls from heights, which is actually the leading cause of death or disability for construction workers.
Many infamous workplace accidents, like the Chernobil nuclear disaster of 1986, or the Exxon-Valdez oil spill, which caused unprecedented environmental and economic impacts, were later found out to be directly or indirectly caused by excessive working hours and sleep deprivation.
Health Problems
Working in a toxic environment not only affects your mental health; it can have devastating consequences for your physical health, too. For one, overexertion and long working hours are sure-fire ways of raising your blood pressure and increasing your risk for heart disease. And researchers at the European Society of Cardiology found that high levels of work stress and sleep deprivation make people with hypertension more likely to die prematurely.
Hostile workplaces also lead to fatigue and burnout, which can raise your likelihood of developing:
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- Digestive issues, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic heartburn, indigestion, and more
- Migraines
- Obesity
- Chest pain
- Lower sex drive
- Muscle tension or pain
Takeaway
You spend a good chunk of your life at work, so it makes sense that the culture of the company you work for influences your productivity and how you feel every day, both on the job and at home. If you find yourself dreading going to work each morning, cringe at the thought of spending one more minute than necessary with your coworkers, or feel abused or belittled by your boss or peers on a regular basis, you may be dealing with a toxic work environment.
Remember that you are more than your job and deserve to be treated with respect. If the organization you’re working for doesn’t appreciate your talents, consider looking for a new place of employment. No job is worth putting your health and sanity on the line.
