Navigating Toxic Work Environments
I’ll never forget the first time I witnessed two coworkers engage in a screaming match in the middle of the newsroom. I don’t know if I was more taken aback by the actual argument or the fact that no one seemed to care that it was taking place. Here are two people literally screaming at each other at the top of their lungs while their coworkers continued with their daily duties as if nothing was happening. Most were so unphased by the yelling they didn’t even look up.
Journalism students are taught that having ‘thick skin’ is required to be a successful journalist and advised to never ‘take things personally.’ While this advice is attributed to the basic functions of the job, it is also a guide on navigating coworkers and sticky situations that all too often take place in the work environment.
Here are four things you can do right now to find success through toxic work circumstances:
Build a network of trusted co-workers
“One important way you can weather a toxic work environment is to find one or two good friends you can trust in your workplace and offer each other support and a place to vent,” says Raffi Bilek, a director at The Baltimore Therapy Center. “Being able to commiserate and understand each other's frustrations can offer a significant uplift and help you make it through the difficult situation,” he says. Just make sure to choose your friends wisely and only speak candidly with people you trust. That being said, you still don’t want to share certain things at work—even to your work BFF.)
Stay focused on important goals
Don’t let workplace gossip keep you from focusing on your work, and definitely don’t join the conversation. “One of the quickest ways to destroy trust among your co-workers is by spreading gossip. Nobody in that kind of environment is willing to be vulnerable and open because everyone’s worried about how that information will be leaked and used against them down the road,” says Piyush Patel, an Oklahoma City-based workplace culture expert. He recommends shutting down unhealthy gossip when you can or simply refusing to participate in it.
Apply the Golden Rule
Don’t stoop to their level. Instead, kill them with kindness. “Look for ways to do things for other people and add value to them, even the people who are toxic,” says Connelly Hayward, a Louisiana-based career coach. It might seem counterintuitive to aid your enemies, so to speak, but it can be beneficial. “Eventually, others will value what you provide, which leads to them valuing you. It may take a while, and they still may be toxic toward others, but their interaction with you will change, and that will change your work environment,” he says. Adopt the mantra: “Work hard, be nice.” (Even when other people aren’t.)
Strive for strong work-life balance
Your 9-5 feels more like a 24/7 because work has become all-consuming. When you aren’t at work, you’re still working or thinking about work. You just want to throw your phone out the window, so you can catch a break from your co-workers’ incessant string of emails, texts, and calls that are all “urgent.” You usually have to work through lunch, having to cram bites in between filing reports at your desk, or are constantly cancelling after-work plans to stay late at the office and finish up assignments.
Tamara D'Anjou Turner, an Atlanta-based psychologist advises that setting boundaries is imperative to achieving a work-life balance. “Having healthy boundaries can reduce the impact that work can have on other areas of your life,” Turner says. She suggests always taking a lunch break, not bringing work home, setting clear expectations, having friendships outside of work, and not sharing too many personal details at work.
Real examples of newsroom drama and how journalists overcame them can be found in the book #JOURNOLIFE
Beshanda Owusu
Research credit: Elana Lyn Gross, Monster contributor
