If you experience no stress at all on the job, you are one of the rare lucky ones. However, if like many other Pennsylvania employees, just the thought of going to work fills you with dread and anxiety, your workplace might be toxic.
Emotionally poisonous work environments are more common than you might think. According to polls by the Workplace Bullying Institute and other sources, 42 percent of employees in the United States quit their jobs due to workplace stress. Bullying is a major contributor to workplace toxicity, with a reported 61 percent of workplace bullies being supervisors, 33 percent being peers at the same level as their targets and 6 percent of bullies being subordinates. There are other factors that combine to form a toxic workplace. Monster.com provides the following examples:
- Discrimination or harassment regarding your gender, sexual orientation, age or other matters
- Constantly being asked or compelled to work overtime with little consideration for your personal life or emotional health
- Being the target of office gossip, exclusion, backstabbing, discrediting and other employees taking credit for your work
- Having a boss who undermines and belittles employees and yells when upset
- Regularly witnessing these behaviors even if you are not the intended target
- Feeling pressured to participate in bullying or exclusionary behavior to fit in or avoid retribution
As you may know, constant stress at work can affect your everyday life and may inhibit your ability to do your job. Anxiety and stress may also result in physical symptoms over time, such as migraines, high blood pressure and heart conditions. You have a right to be treated with dignity at work.
