Consider the last time you had conflict with a coworker. It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as a full-throated shouting match or a yogurt thrown across the break room. It could be a moment in which you perceived a passive-aggressive snipe from a colleague during a team meeting, or an incident of gaslighting in a private conversation in the hallway afterwards.

Discussion around “toxicity” and how it relates to workplace culture has garnered attention in recent years, and this toxicity in question can take on countless forms. According to a 2023 survey from the American Psychological Association, 19% of employees said their workplace is very or somewhat toxic, and those who experienced workplace toxicity were over three times more likely to report damage to their mental health than those who observed a healthy work environment (52% vs. 15%). Moreover, I believe this problem can be expected to grow worse as more workers are forced to return to the office in the wake of the pandemic.

Evolving employee dynamics and an increased awareness of toxicity in the modern workplace is a reality that employers must face. One way to do this is for teams to invest in helping workers establish “toxic-proof” skills, such as emotional intelligence, to combat toxic workplace culture and the fallout—employee dissatisfaction, quiet quitting and worker exodus—that can follow.

WHAT IS A TOXIC WORKPLACE CULTURE?

At one point or another, we’ve all experienced moments of disaffection with the boss or a coworker. We may have even felt attacked in the workplace. But are all of these moments representative of toxicity? What if the negativity or anxiety a worker is feeling isn’t a direct or deliberate aggression from a colleague? What exactly are the conditions that constitute a toxic workplace culture?

According to Business Leadership Today, toxic workplace culture “is a culture in which conflict is common and the work environment is negative because of unethical behaviors, a lack of inclusion and disrespect.” Let’s take a closer look at that definition:

First, the qualifier that conflict in the workplace must be “common” implies that one or two adverse incidents aren’t necessarily indicative of a sustained culture of toxicity. Workers are human, and humans can be guilty of lapses and poor judgment from time to time—especially in a work environment full of daily pressures and disparate personalities and backgrounds. Particularly when an incident is addressed by the involved parties (with cooler heads, of course) and resolution is an honest aim, work conflict can sometimes lead to healthy growth and a stronger foundation of mutual respect.

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