Welcome to our blog! Keith Carlson has worked as a nurse since 1996. He received an Associate Degree in Nursing from Greenfield Community College in 1996, and a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2001.
Is Your Workplace Toxic?
Toxic workplaces are like poison to a nurse’s spirit. A toxic work environment can cause a nurse to feel dejected, unexcited and passionless about his or her work, and critical of colleagues and the employer or organization. These environments sap nurses’ strength and lead to a plethora of poor outcomes for nurses, organizations and the larger communities that they serve.
So, what does a toxic healthcare-related workplace look or feel like? Let’s examine some clues.
1) A toxic workplace uses authoritarian control to “keep employees in line“. Edicts come down from the upper echelons of power, and workers have no input in decision-making.
2) Toxic workplaces breed unhappy workers who internalize the oppression that they feel from their superiors, and this internalized oppression manifests in back-biting, bullying, the formation of cliques, and poor communication between employees, committees, and various groups within the organization.
3) When toxicity is rampant, the consumers who utilize such a facility may actually sense that something is wrong. Care may be poor, employee attitudes may reflect a lack of caring or concern, and there is a feeling that the organization lacks a “human” touch. Outcomes may also be compromised.
4) High turnover is a symptom of a toxic workplace, and employees who stay often feel like they are aboard a sinking ship.
5) Toxic workplaces feel bad to those who operate within them. These types of organizations breed unhappy workers, authoritarian and dictatorial leaders, and very poor cohesion and morale.
6) If you work in a toxic workplace, you may dread going to work. You may experience poor treatment from many coworkers, and there may be a feeling that your workplace is “unsafe”, emotionally and otherwise. You may fear for your job while also wishing to lose it. In this type of environment, you may feel that you walk a knife’s edge between just getting your job and being reprimanded at every turn. There may be unfair demands made upon you and your colleagues, and there is likely little real recourse for you if you want to file a complaint with your superiors. Mediation and other forms of assistance for employees are non-existent or dysfunctional if they exist at all.
This list is by no means exhaustive, but it belies the ways in which toxic workplaces can impact individuals, groups of employees, as well as the organization at large and the people whom it serves. If you think that you work in a toxic workplace, it may be time to consider finding a new employer or working towards helping your workplace become a healthier, more functional organization.
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