Humans are very adaptable; we can get used to almost anything. From learning to live in extreme environments, so too have we learned to adapt to working in toxic workplaces.
The trouble is that toxic workplaces aren’t good for our mental health or self confidence and can really make us ill. They are also bad for business, affecting reputation, productivity and results.
Unfortunately toxic workplaces exist everywhere. It might be a line manager making things tricky, it might be an entire culture within a team, or it could be exclusive behaviours and cliques.
Like an abusive relationship, walking away from a toxic workplace isn’t easy. We make all sorts of justifications to ourselves that it’s not that bad, that things will get better, or that it’s our fault.
If find yourself in this type of environment, and you are able, raising concerns with your line manager can be helpful. However if things don’t change it might be time to consider a change of job.
Remember, your career is a journey, you might not always get off at the right destination. That’s okay. What matters is that you learn from each experience and move to the next role with your head held high.