24 Surprising Signs of Toxic Communication in the Workplace
Are you struggling to “figure it out”? Are you irrationally annoyed at emails that hit your inbox? Are you wondering why you feel so drained at the end of the workday?
Are your colleagues no longer engaged at work? Are you experiencing passive aggressive emails? Are team meetings a drain on energy? Are you noticing more people putting in their notice and leaving the company?
Hot take: It could be due to toxic communication.
Toxic communication, poor communication, ineffective communication. Whatever you want to call it, it wrecks havoc on our ability to be successful.
Poor communication hinders productivity because instead of knocking 3 more tasks off our to-do list, we are stuck spending 30 minutes reading and rereading that nasty email. Instead of working harmoniously with one another, we are trying to figure out how to respond to an email so we don’t make anyone angry. And instead of being happy at work, we feel devalued, underpaid, and underappreciated for the effort and work we put forth every single day.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. If there is one thing we can control, it’s how we show up and communicate in the workplace every day. The goal of Career Civility is to change the conversation in the workplace. It’s to give you more power back in your day so you can feel productive, successful, and respected. And Civil Communication is the tool in your toolbox to be able to do this.
Let’s recognize the toxic situations that are plaguing the workplace and then let’s fix it.
Here are 24 surprising signs of poor communication that might be infiltrating your organization:
Unmanageable workloads
Lack of salary/promotion transparency
Overloaded calendars
No meeting agendas
No annual/bi-annual performance reviews
Micromanaging
Passive aggressive emails
“We don’t care where you work as long as you get your work done” but then demand you return back to the office in person
“We are like a family” but make you feel undervalued and disrespected
“We are all adults here” but then gossip like it’s high school prom
“We value diverse ideas” but only if the ideas agreeable to the existing standard
“Unlimited PTO” but never encourages time off or scrutinizes the time people do take off (i.e. dentist appts, school pick up, mental health days, etc)
Not adhering to or asking about boundaries
When a company promises a work/life balance but constantly email/text/call after working hours
When the company advertises inclusion but doesn’t create a psychologically safe environment
When the organization doesn’t give you a chance to voice your ideas
Zero career development opportunities or clarity
Being overworked and underpaid
Undervalues your expertise and value
Receiving zero support on projects/workload (will not look over work, provide feedback, engage with the project, etc)
When you are asked you to share ideas but are immediately shut down
Apologizing for how meetings were handled/conducted
When they say they are diverse but…
When your gut is telling you something is off about the company…
Listen to it. Listen to that voice in your head that is telling you something is off.
Communication is nuanced. It shows up in body language, in tone of voice, in eye contact, in emails, in slacks, over the phone, where people decide to sit at a conference room table, how people dress, and through silence.
This makes recognizing, diagnosing, and quantifying communications tough. But - if you do not feel like the communication in your workplace is productive or effective, it’s probably because it’s not.
Recognizing there is a problem – and being able to define the problem – is the first step in eliciting change. And this is where Career Civility can help. Let’s put words to what you are feeling.
Let’s work together to create change by improving communication in the workplace. It will not be fixed overnight but you can breathe easier knowing you are taking the right step to feel comfortable and confident as an effective communicator in the workplace.
In JANUARY 2023 (next month!!!) I will be launching my new online email communication course: Email To Success.
The one stop shop for everything you need that will help you write better emails.
Email to Success is a one-of-a-kind digital course that is designed to help hard-working corporate professionals like yourself take control of your inbox. You will go from feeling overwhelmed and disrespected by your clients, your coworkers, and your boss to feeling productive and empowered to be the confident communicator that is respected in the workplace.
I’m currently working on all the fun tech side of setting up an online digital course but you’ll be the first one to get access to the course as soon as my pre-launch starts!
Have specific content you want covered in the course? Email me!
This course is built for you, with you, and specific scenarios are welcomed!
