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Your Stories
This is where we tell your stories, cover topical issues and promote meaningful initiatives.
Functioning in a dysfunctional workplace
Many of us have worked in a dysfunctional workplace at some point. You know, the workplace that is full of hostility, negativity, cliques, mistrust, inefficiency and selfishness? Along with these toxic traits come power struggles, poor communication and abusive leadership.
Common signs of a dysfunctional workplace include:
- absence of trust
- fear of conflict
- lack of commitment
- avoidance of accountability
- gossip
- poor communication
- high turnover
- inattention to results
- lack of empathy
- disrespect of boundaries
- inattention to team objectives
- unclear expectations
- confusion
- control
- excessive criticism
- fear and unpredictability
- lower morale
- work imbalance
- poor transparency
- yelling
- a tyrannical boss.
Just the thought of walking into a workplace such as this can make you feel guarded, hypervigilant, fearful, and emotionally drained at the start of the day, let alone at the end of it.
Sometimes we are in the position to fix things, or at least contribute to creating a workplace culture that is healthier and positive, and where employees feel safe, supported, engaged and motivated.
This can often be a challenging time, yet it is highly rewarding as you watch your colleagues transition from surviving to thriving.
At other times, this toxic culture is so embedded within the workplace, and we are powerless in our ability to change it; we just need to survive it until we decide to either leave or see out the contract.
This is a time when we need to dig deep within ourselves and implement the following strategies to keep you temporarily functioning in this workplace:
Stay focused
Focus on the tasks in front of you and how you perform your job. Rise above all else that is happening around you and mindfully perform each task. Take it one task at a time.
Keep your distance
Don’t participate in gossip or negativity. If you see it happening, turn away and find another task to complete or find something else to do.
Find allies
This is not about finding someone to whinge with. It’s about finding someone you can talk to and consult with about your work or patients without the fear and negativity.
Tune it out
If you hear or see poor behaviour that you know you’re not going to change, mindfully attend to what you are doing and tune out what you are hearing or seeing. However, if this involves a safety or discriminatory issue, don’t be afraid to speak up, but be aware that you may become the focus of that person’s poor behaviour, and that will have to be ok for now.
Look for triggers
Observe people’s actions and what triggers their poor behaviours. Likewise, mindfully reflect on what behaviours or observations will likely trigger upset within you. Avoid these as much as possible by planning what you can do if you find yourself in this situation, for example, taking a quick break, going for a walk or ringing a friend.
Set an example
The old adage “don’t sink to their level” applies here. Align your behaviour with your values and show people how you behave, and what behaviours you would like to see them display. If you expect respectful conversations, engage in respectful conversations and, if it starts to break down, tell the other person you’ll leave it there and walk away.
Take your leave
In a situation where change is futile, and when the first opportunity presents itself, leave. If you are being disrespected and your skills are going unappreciated, leave and find somewhere that is more aligned with your values and where you will be appreciated.
The above are only temporary strategies to help get you through and, whilst the decision to leave can often be extremely difficult due to such things as staff shortages and community connections, you also need to ask yourself what continuing to work in such a dysfunctional environment is costing you.
If you suspect you’re working in such an environment, ask yourself questions about your wellbeing, such as, Are you sleeping ok? How are you feeling within yourself? Are you tired most of the time? Tearful? Are you eating as well as you could? When you start reflecting on all the little (or big) ways in which your workplace is affecting your health and wellbeing, it’s often a catalyst for making those sometimes difficult decisions that need to be made.
Above all, value yourself and what you bring to a workplace. At the end of the day, we all want to have a healthy work environment in which we are valued, appreciated and can thrive in. You deserve that.
If you are working in a challenging workplace environment, don’t forget you can call the Bush Support Line at any time on 1800 805 391.
Take care,
Dr Nicole Jeffery-Dawes
Senior Psychologist
Bush Support Line
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