Toxic Workplace Checklist: 10 Signs at Work That You Can Use

Last Updated on August 3, 2023 by Daniel Boyce

A toxic work environment is a drain on you professionally and personally.

It absolutely can take a toll on your mental health and physical health.

Even a healthy work environment can have bad days.

But a toxic environment causes a build-up of added stress and anxiety.

With the “Great Resignation” movement underway, it’s clear that people are waking up to this trend and putting their foot down when exposed to a toxic work environment.

We hope this continues, but we also want to share 7 sneaky signs in this toxic workplace checklist that might sometimes fly under the radar. 

10 Toxic Workplace Checklist Signs

Unfortunately, many people experience a toxic work environment at some point in their careers.

Whether it’s due to a difficult boss, toxic coworkers, or a lack of support and resources, toxic workplaces can be detrimental to your well-being.

But how do you know if your workplace is toxic?

1. Subtle Retaliation

Obviously, outright retaliation for speaking up or against the leadership wouldn’t be tolerated.

But toxic leaders typically will be more subtle than that by retaliating in ways that seem like they may only be following protocols. 

One example of this recently, in my life, was a coworker that spoke up about a particular challenge the office was facing in a company-wide group chat.

The solution suggested was completely valid and didn’t hurt anyone. But it wasn’t the solution leadership wanted to go with.

Later this coworker was brought in and written up.

When they asked why leadership responded that they didn’t use the correct communication methods and broke the chain of command.

This type of retaliation to an employee providing a solution can prevent future employees from speaking up or trying to develop processes or policies for the better. 

2. Coworker Gossip

Just about every workplace has gossip and it can be tough to know when it has become toxic.

Most people would say to refrain from all types of gossip, but this may not be possible.

So it’s best to know what is considered “good gossip”, or small talk, and bad gossip.

Good gossip actually contains a bit of truth and is not spread with malicious intent or to hurt individuals.

It’s typically not even called gossip at this point.

Most of the time it’s just small talk around the office. This can be a powerful way for useful information to spread around the office.

Bad gossip is intentionally spread to cause harm and can be untrue.

This can range from personal details about a coworker, or even internal office complications in an attempt to make them worse than they are.

If this isn’t addressed quickly, it can be one of the biggest contributors to a growing toxic work environment. 

3. No Colleague Cooperation

Cooperation on projects, challenges, and goals is a sign of a healthy workplace. But no colleague cooperation is a sign of toxic behavior.

When coworkers only want to focus on their responsibilities, and not lend a helping hand to others, this in itself is a toxic culture.

Most jobs are tough enough to get through as a team.

But when you are isolated it can make things even tougher. 

There can be multiple reasons behind this.

Sometimes coworkers are so worried about their production that they can’t spare time helping another, and it becomes an “everyone for themselves” type of environment. 

There could also be a fear of management punishment as they are trying to control the situation more and more. Either way, it creates a hostile workplace. 

4. Concerning Body Language

At least 70% of communication is nonverbal according to body language experts.

Many people can be putting on a brave face and saying the right things, but it can still feel like something is off.

This is a subtle clue that most of your coworkers, including leadership, don’t want to be there.

Start paying attention to the body language of your manager after a meeting with senior leadership, or after a call with a coworker.

These can tell as much of the story as verbal communication can.

Avoiding eye contact, negative facial expressions, and crossed arms are just a few signs of concerning body language. 

5. Unaccommodating Communication Styles

When your leadership requires you to communicate in a certain way, or they have very strict communication channels you must go through, this can be a sign of an unhealthy work environment.

Have you ever found it difficult to have meaningful conversations with leadership?

This can also be apparent when you feel the need to speak up against, or even challenge, an idea or process but either get ignored or reprimanded.

There should be open communication channels between you and leadership.

At the very least they should clearly state how to properly raise a concern, and how quickly you can expect it to be addressed. 

6. No Training or Reviews

I’ve experienced this one firsthand. Many sales environments have the “sink or swim” mentality when hiring entry-level sales associates.

Entry-level sales associates need lots of training and reviews of previous work.

But, not providing employee training at the beginning of someone’s career absolutely creates a toxic workplace. 

This leaves employees feeling lost and hopeless in times of struggle. And, most employees will struggle at some point.

Once they do, and they can’t get out of the hole they are in, they will begin to participate in more toxic workplace behaviors on this list.

Poor performance with no way to improve will contribute to a toxic culture.

7. Undetermined Responsibilities

Have you ever worked in an environment where nobody knew who had certain responsibilities?

This can lead to numerous processes not getting completed and issues coming from that. This can also lead to conflict over certain responsibilities and disputes coming from that. 

Strong leadership should clearly define the responsibilities of each employee, and step in when there are disputes.

This can seem like a miscommunication on the part of leadership. But sometimes it can be a toxic work culture. 

8. High Turnover Rates

High turnover rates can be a significant sign of a toxic workplace.

When employees are leaving the company at an above-average rate, it could be indicative of an unhealthy corporate culture, bad management, or other red flags.

The cost of hiring and training new staff adds up quickly and can take a toll on company output.

High staff turnover can also leave remaining employees feeling disheartened and demotivated, particularly if they are not getting the support they need.

If your company has high turnover rates, it might be time to take a closer look at its working practices and address any underlying organizational issues causing employees to leave.

9. Micromanagement

Micromanagement is one of the surest signs of a toxic workplace.

When supervisors or managers are constantly looking over their staff’s shoulders and demanding everything be done their way, it can create a stressful and disempowering work environment.

This constant monitoring damages productivity and can make employees feel like their own abilities and competencies are not valued or trusted.

Micromanagement also runs the risk of breeding resentment and conflict within teams that can harm employee morale and ultimately turn people away.

While oversight is necessary, excessive attention to minute details is controlling and counterproductive.

Management needs to trust their employees and give them the freedom to work to their full potential.

10. Display of Favoritism

When a company displays favoritism, it can be a significant sign of a toxic workplace.

If management is showing favoritism towards a select group of employees, it can lead to resentment among others who feel left out.

It also creates a divide between co-workers, leading to a tense environment and lower morale.

Employees who get favorable treatment can become complacent and unproductive as they expect to be rewarded, regardless of their actual performance.

Disparities exist in every office, and management needs to be aware of how it is perceived by their employees.

An organization that prioritizes a culture of fairness and equity can benefit from greater productivity, higher satisfaction, and less employee turnover.

How to Avoid a Toxic Workplace

Ways to avoid a toxic workplace may seem like common sense, but they do take work and awareness from leadership.

Here I’ll quickly give 6 tips to avoid a toxic workplace culture. 

1. Prioritize Training

Constant training and reviews, whether it’s from management itself or an L&D team, can boost self-confidence in all employees.

It can also boost an employee’s gratefulness towards their current leadership for taking the time to prioritize their education.

But most important is that it will boost performance. And success breeds enjoyment in one’s work. 

2. Consistent Communication

Consistent communication between leadership and employees is crucial, even if the news isn’t great.

Being fully transparent and open about what’s going on in the company will be appreciated so much more than being kept in the dark while working towards a solution.

3. Reward Often

Of course, big achievements at work should be rewarded with big awards.

But even small achievements can still be rewarded with praise and small celebrations.

This teaches all employees what behavior they want to incentivize. Celebrate the small successes. 

4. Lead by Example

Leadership, including managers and team leads, are constantly being watched on how they work, respond, and communicate.

These actions will most likely be repeated by employees that are looking to get promoted or noticed.

Lead by example and show your employees how you want them to operate in your workplace.

5. Address Concerns Quickly

Nothing is worse than having lingering issues stick around indefinitely with no answers.

Most employees understand for more complex problems a solution isn’t going to happen very quickly.

But addressing these concerns and letting your team know what work is being done to solve these issues can be the difference between a toxic culture and a positive culture. 

6. Incentivize Cooperation

Creating a company culture that incentivizes cooperation will not only keep you clear of toxic workplace culture but will increase performance, which can increase revenue.

You can do this by doing something as simple as rewarding and acknowledging those that are helpful or collaborative.

Summary

Sometimes the subtle signs of a toxic workplace can be obvious and other times they can be sneaky.

The majority of these signs have to deal with toxic leadership. You could consider this a toxic manager’s checklist.

As an employee, it’s your job to speak up and challenge a negative work environment.

And as a manager, it’s your job to create a positive culture where each employee can flourish.