How to work in a toxic environment
There are many posts about growing a good culture of empathy in teams. But how could you deal with a toxic culture? In this post we are going to delve into this question.
Toxic behaviors
What is a toxic environment?
A toxic environment is one where the bad behaviors are not corrected or they are ignored.
As simple as that. There are people doing things that affect negatively to others, and nobody is correcting them. So the ones behaving badly feel supported by the collective, and they keep behaving the same way (sometimes they can even increase the frequency and magnitude of their actions).
Do not fall in the trap of thinking that a toxic environment is one where there are dialectical fights, or the negative behavior is clear.
What are toxic actions?
Actions that have a negative impact in others, and that have no place in a professional environment.
Incisive criticism, playing favorites, harassment, insults, discrimination, sexism, are examples of toxic actions.
How do they develop through time?
I have seen this in several work places, and it is always the same:
- Focus the jokes on one person (or team).
- Increase the joke frequency and level.
- Put them on the spot.
- If they respond in any way, put them on a bad light.
- Repeat from the top.
This process demoralizes, and destroys the self-esteem of the victims.
Some times the leadership also leverages this resultant low self-esteem so defer (or stop) promotions and salary increases. So if they have allowed these behaviors to grow for years, do not expect them to act in any way against them.
What are the causes of it?
Leadership not taking responsibility of fostering a good environment. Hence, enabling the toxic behaviors.
Notice I have not said toxic people, but toxic behaviors, because I think that anybody can improve their behavior with a proper guidance. And that is what is missing in these environments.
They say The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing., and even though this quote is misattribute to Edmund Burke, it holds some truth there.
How to thrive in a toxic environment?
You cannot. The actions will only worsen as time goes by (See the how do they develop through time item).
Should you do the same?
Would you fight a fire in your house by burning the remaining parts of your house?
No, you should not act the same, if you see unprofessional behaviors you can send an anonymous tip to your company Human Resources (even though there is no guarantee they are going to do anything).
You could respond in a professional way, and ignore the jokes but:
- Don’t expect any change.
- Don’t expect any support.
- You are alone against the mob.
Could you change the culture for the best?
No, just leave.
If the culture has been fostered to grow in this way, there is nothing you can do. The leadership of the company is content with the situation and they are the ones with the responsibility and the means to change it.
Conclusion
Humans are flawed beings that can fall in doing hurting behaviors to others. It could be because they feel threatened, or lack the empathy to put themselves in others' position.
It is not possible to change the culture unless you are in a position of leadership. And if the leadership does not feel there is something wrong with the culture, you can do almost nothing.
The easies solution is to change teams or leave the company altogether.