Don’t stay at a toxic job. Get out of toxic relationships. These are all extremely common, read a magazine, a self help book, or a blog article, the advice is not wrong. But what exactly makes for a toxic work environment, how to identify it, and are you work in one?
A toxic work environment can be summed up in quick as an overall negative experience and place. Bullying either from one or more coworkers towards everyone or newer nurses. This behavior within nurse I’ve notice has waxed and weaned at one part the seasoned nurses would make it tough for newer nurses. Some units can become cliquish, and unwelcoming towards an outsiders, or in the case of two units combining where the units stay divided. Cliques can come into existence in many ways a close group, nurses who started the same time, or worked together for a number of years. A third negative experience also is a lack of engagement from coworkers, and management. People come in do what they have to do and leave, the phenomenon have been nicknamed quiet quitting from the media. Typically a term used for at home employees who have set boundaries. On a nursing floor I would say a lack of engagement would be not helping another nurse in need.
What are the red flags of a toxic work environment. Everyone seems to have low productivity. In an office it could be low output of product or paperwork in a hospital floor it will be different. When working in patient care, all the task will be complete the energy the overall energy and enthusiasm. Does the unit have a high turn over in staff? Have you notice or heard that they hire several people and just aren’t able to retain people? A huge, huge red flag to a toxic environment is when the staff doesn’t stay, if a turn over in the staff is high and constant start asking question of why. When people are always leaving there is usually a reason behind the exiting staff. Do people call out a lot? This could be a two level question, under a lot of stress people are more likely to get sick and then need to call out, on the other hand when people don’t care they call out, or feel the need to call out at the smallest sight of anything. In every hospital people talk, and everyone talks about which floor is worse, where its the best to work, the reputation of the unit especially the worse units always spread.
The toxic environment comes from different levels within the institute. At the employee level where the culture among the coworkers is toxic, no wants to help out one another, smaller groups form among the staff, people fight, bicker, and no one want to be there. The management level of toxicity, is where the culture is rounded out by the management. A manipulated management is awful. I worked for a manager for a short time, if anyone wanted to leave or she found out someone wanted to transfer to another unit or department the manager would write up the staff member, so that they couldn’t transfer. The management had several charge nurses that were given special acceptance above others. When toxicity is coming from the manager or coworker the best plan of action is to transfer off to another unit that has a better reputation. When the harsh work environment is coming from the top, the upper manager, directors, executive, no respect for their workers, out right lies, and a pitiful excuse to show up for the staff. When the toxic culture is beyond the unit it’s time to get a new position at a different facility.
Have you worked at a toxic work place?