Dealing with a Toxic Workplace Environment? How to Know When it’s Time to Break up With your Job

We all have bad days at work when stress and frustrations wear us down. However, if the bad days at work have become the norm, you may be dealing with a toxic workplace environment. A toxic workplace can affect your mental and physical health, increasing anxiety and stress and seriously impacting your productivity and morale.

Your workplace may be toxic for a variety of reasons. If you’re feeling very unhappy at work, here are three key signs it’s time to consider breaking up with your current job.

Your boss sets unrealistic expectations.

Effective bosses challenge you with attainable goals encouraging you to grow and become your best version. On the other hand, ineffective bosses set you up to fail. Their unrealistic expectations make you feel helpless and stressed. Demanding quick turnarounds at the last minute and overwhelming you with work can quickly lead to a toxic workplace environment.

Your boundaries are not respected.

Lack of respect for boundaries is a hallmark of toxic relationships, including those at work. Do you feel uncomfortable speaking up at work? If you do, whether due to a lack of confidence or from imposter syndrome, it’s something you can work on. If you have set boundaries and they are not respected, it may be time to find a new job.

You think about quitting your job regularly.

If you think a lot about quitting your job, it’s a good sign that you’re ready to move on. If you feel unsure, take the time to review your current position. Look at your last month of work and tally up the good and bad days. It may be time to “jump ship” if the bad days outweigh the good.

Another approach is to ask yourself what you would advise a friend or coworker in the same situation. Would you encourage them to stick with the job and tolerate its negatives, or would you recommend they escape from the toxic workplace? More often than not, the advice you would give to someone in your situation is what you need to hear yourself.

The decision to leave your current job is a challenging one. But if you see the signs of a toxic workplace culture, you need to trust your intuition and go for it!