Toxic Work Environment

TheSurveyor

TheSurveyor

Catholic
Remnant
Howdy fellas,

Wanted to figure out your thoughts on how to handle a toxic work environment? I’ve been at my current position for a few months and the place is toxic, but the pay is great.

It would be one thing, if I just had to work with these co-workers of mine. But I usually have to stay out of town with these guys too. A bunch of young 20 year-olds who don’t want to work.

I plan to ride it out a year and then move on to somewhere else, but man is this driving me up a wall. Any thoughts?
 
If you can get away with wearing them, ear buds are very good at blunting out all the noise and stupidity.

If you're not allowed to wear them, learn how to not respond to people even when they ask you direct questions. Only respond to what's absolutely necessary. Nobody likes talking to someone only to be met with awkward (I call it peaceful) silence. Makes them uncomfortable but saves you a lot of headache. After a while they'll get the memo, hopefully.
 
TheSurveyor said:
Howdy fellas,

Wanted to figure out your thoughts on how to handle a toxic work environment? I’ve been at my current position for a few months and the place is toxic, but the pay is great.

It would be one thing, if I just had to work with these co-workers of mine. But I usually have to stay out of town with these guys too. A bunch of young 20 year-olds who don’t want to work.

I plan to ride it out a year and then move on to somewhere else, but man is this driving me up a wall. Any thoughts?
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What is toxic about your job? If you have options to leave and get the same kind of job and pay somewhere else then I guess thats fine, I once worked in a toxic work enviroment but I didnt have options to leave and had a family to support so I stayed there for 2 years and was eventually fired against my will, there was a lot of shouting at each other, intimidation, threats, screaming and crying on a daily basis, especially when the boss shouted at the ladies and humiliated them they would cry tears, these things happened almost daily and the pay wasnt ok not the greatest, I was actually cheated in my pay, its one of the reasons I was fired, for calling the boss a dishonest person for not paying me what he promised before I got the job.
 
GodfatherPartTwo said:
If you can get away with wearing them, ear buds are very good at blunting out all the noise and stupidity.

If you're not allowed to wear them, learn how to not respond to people even when they ask you direct questions. Only respond to what's absolutely necessary. Nobody likes talking to someone only to be met with awkward (I call it peaceful) silence. Makes them uncomfortable but saves you a lot of headache. After a while they'll get the memo, hopefully.
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Unable to perform my job with earbuds unfortunately. But only responding when necessary is a good move.
GoodShepherd said:
What is toxic about your job? If you have options to leave and get the same kind of job and pay somewhere else then I guess thats fine, I once worked in a toxic work enviroment but I didnt have options to leave and had a family to support so I stayed there for 2 years and was eventually fired against my will, there was a lot of shouting at each other, intimidation, threats, screaming and crying on a daily basis, especially when the boss shouted at the ladies and humiliated them they would cry tears, these things happened almost daily and the pay wasnt ok not the greatest, I was actually cheated in my pay, its one of the reasons I was fired, for calling the boss a dishonest person for not paying me what he promised before I got the job.
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The toxicity stems from the coworkers and the micromanagement. Started the place with a decent amount experience. There’s a young guy who had just gotten promoted to the same position and he has it out for me to leave. I’m assuming it’s because he fears the competition. Most of the other guys are either neutral or just flat out lazy.

Management is the typical, “It’s my way or the way” boomer type. Which isn’t the worst, but it can get aggravating quickly. Luckily I negotiated a good wage before starting.
 
TheSurveyor said:
Unable to perform my job with earbuds unfortunately. But only responding when necessary is a good move.

The toxicity stems from the coworkers and the micromanagement. Started the place with a decent amount experience. There’s a young guy who had just gotten promoted to the same position and he has it out for me to leave. I’m assuming it’s because he fears the competition. Most of the other guys are either neutral or just flat out lazy.

Management is the typical, “It’s my way or the way” boomer type. Which isn’t the worst, but it can get aggravating quickly. Luckily I negotiated a good wage before starting.
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If the toxic enviroment is mostly coming from coworkers and not the company then I think you should hang on because how do you onow if you move to another company that the people there will be any better, they might be worse and then you loose out on a high pay, the other option is to just work for yourself.

Sometimes if you privately pray for these co workers it could help the situation for you, all the best my friend.
 
Thank you all for your insights! So I had been applying to other companies for the same position, but they simply were not offering me a comprable wage. So I told them no.

I’ve been a passively searching for job opportunities. One of the major problem coworkers got let go for abusing company privileges. And another guy was let go recently.

Due to these guys getting terminated, I got bumped up to the head guy and the boss has been treating me much nicer than before.

One of the supervisors was buddies with the guy who caused me a bunch of problems. So we’ll see how it goes.
 
Keep in mind no one there is your friend or ally, never say anything bad about anyone, even the guy who caused you problems and never talk about your personal life either. Pretend to buy in to whatever the bosses are doing and do your work. Don't make any of them look stupid or bad if you consider yourself a better worker, smarter, or whatever. Learn to let them talk first and don't give any solid conclusions on anything ("I think..."), go with the consensus, don't be a sigma male. It sounds like you don't want to be promoted, so over time if you keep making the boss who gave you problems look good and he knows you aren't gunning for his position, your life could get easier.
 
GodfatherPartTwo said:
If you can get away with wearing them, ear buds are very good at blunting out all the noise and stupidity.

If you're not allowed to wear them, learn how to not respond to people even when they ask you direct questions. Only respond to what's absolutely necessary. Nobody likes talking to someone only to be met with awkward (I call it peaceful) silence. Makes them uncomfortable but saves you a lot of headache. After a while they'll get the memo, hopefully.
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iTune you out.
 
If you can tolerate your job and are finding you are being overpaid compared to other similar opportunities elsewhere, be smart with your money, stack your cash in an emergency fund, payoff debts, put a high % into 401-k etc. Then when the good paying gig ends, you at least have put yourself in a better financial position than if you were in a less toxic environment making a lot less. But honestly what you have described doesn’t sound all that toxic.
 
thinkreadwritecode said:
I forgot to mention and wanted to reiterate as others have said: every work environment is "toxic". Switching companies doesn't solve that problem so this company is a good one to practice and learn how to navigate the fallen nature of humanity within the office environment.
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Agree with above. And sometimes (alot of the time) all it takes is 1 toxic person to make your job/life miserable and not the whole work environment. When I look back at my long career, the removal of 1 bad apple from the organization or a client is all that is needed and the place would have been great (or was great before or after they left). A lot of times patiently waiting will fix itself, but if a year or longer goes by and looks like the toxic person is a sociopath/psychopath and has manipulated and fooled leadership, then it’s time to make an escape plan.
 
bubs said:
Agree with above. And sometimes (alot of the time) all it takes is 1 toxic person to make your job/life miserable and not the whole work environment. When I look back at my long career, the removal of 1 bad apple from the organization or a client is all that is needed and the place would have been great (or was great before or after they left). A lot of times patiently waiting will fix itself, but if a year or longer goes by and looks like the toxic person is a sociopath/psychopath and has manipulated and fooled leadership, then it’s time to make an escape plan.
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It only takes one awful bully to bring down a bunch of great kids.

thinkreadwritecode said:
every work environment is "toxic". Switching companies doesn't solve that problem
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Well, every employer is looking out for themselves. HR works for the company, not for the employees. They help the company, not you. Workers need to be aware and not buy into the "we're a family" BS.

That being said, some companies are far better than others; I wouldn't call them all toxic.
 
cosine said:
It only takes one awful bully to bring down a bunch of great kids.


Well, every employer is looking out for themselves. HR works for the company, not for the employees. They help the company, not you. Workers need to be aware and not buy into the "we're a family" BS.

That being said, some companies are far better than others; I wouldn't call them all toxic.
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Well said. Anybody who still believes "we are a family" unless you are literally working for your *family run business* is a fool.

People in high performing companies know this and say so out loud. Companies exist for one reason only: to produce or sell a product at a profit. Thats it. In fact, there is no point for a company to exist otherwise. Within such realities, colleagues aren't a family. You are a number and an employee. Recognize reality for what it is (which is fairly brutal) and then rise to the occasion and become a winner. Then go start a company and run it with Christian values. Then pass the equity off to your children. Now thats family!!
 
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