“Finding a Dream Job in a Toxic Environment” is like finding Diamonds under an active Volcano”.
Imagine searching for years for the perfect job, finding it then realising it is a total disaster. I know, us millennials like to “complain” alot according to everyone, but our mental health means so much and once that is being challenged, we are out!
What Happens When the Dream Job is in a Toxic Environment
This post was actually inspired by a post I saw on Instagram from a guy who works in Digital Marketing in America. He had an amazing story of disappointments and triumph, until he found his “dream job”. This job allows him to make $75,000 each year as a Digital Marketing Specialist, he has numerous benefits and the ability to work remotely. Sounds like a dream right? Wrong! He has expressed in an article, that it is the most unhappy he’s been because of the job’s toxic environment.
If you feel you are in a toxic work environment, here are a few things to look out for:
Signs Your Job Is Toxic
- Roles and Positions are not clear: Let’s say you were hired for a specific title like Social Media Coordinator, but you have suddenly become Photographer, Videographer, Sales Executive and the list goes on. In this type of environment, the employers hire people and expect them to take on multiple roles as they refuse to pay people who are actually qualified but your salary remains the same. As the old adage says: ” You are over-worked and under paid”.
- You make less than the stand rate: I must admit, this is a big thing in Jamaica as I feel we make at least twice as less than our first world counterparts. There are some jobs who have decided your worth while completely negating your experience and skills and pay you what they feel you are worth. This is usually less and is never a liveable wage. Thank God for side-hustles and part-time gigs.
- The Office looks like a bad 80s Office Montage: I always say, you can tell a lot about a company by the lunch room and appliances like the fridge, tv and microwave. If those are old and outdated .. run! If the office is run down, you have been hired to work at a run down business that is on the verge of closing down.
- Employees are being Micromanaged: There is nothing I hate more than being micromanaged! If employers want things to be done a specific way only to their specifications, it would be a lot easier if they did it themselves. In this case, nothing you do is ever right as it needs to be approved and you lack motivation to do anything at all since it will be scrutinised. At some point you start to question you intelligence and worth.
- Everybody is Two-Faced: I was recently at a job where it was so hard to figure out who to trust, that I thought it best to keep to myself. People have tossed all integrity, ethics and morals out the window so they can be chummy with their superiors with hope of being treated differently. This is a horrible feeling as you have to be careful of every little thing you say and even if you are relaying an issue to someone on the phone, you constantly have to be looking over your shoulder.
- Instructions and Directions are never clear: In most cases a Senior Manager is supposed to relay the information from the CEO to the team members right! Wrong! In a toxic environment, the instruction comes from literally everyone who apparently don’t communicate with each other, so you are left confused and overworked. A simple instruction like getting a Photographer for a shoot turns into rocket science when it doesn’t have to be.
- You constantly feel like Quitting: If you are at a job and you constantly feel like quitting, you are in a toxic work environment! There is this dreaded gut feeling you get the minute you approach the property and when you are finally in the building. As always, I never encourage people to get up and leave, so the minute the thought of quitting enters your brain, start applying to other jobs and start weighing your options. Make a list of pros and cons and if the cons outweighs the pros, it’s time to start setting your “escape plan in motion”.
- Boundaries are not respected: Lunch time at work is considered “personal time”, we are humans and need to eat so we can re-fuel our bodies to “carry on the work”. If your lunch time is not respected and you have people calling you and talking to and over you while you are eating, this is a toxic work environment! It’s best to leave the compound for lunch or if this is not possible, eat in your car or just go outside. This also involves people calling and emailing you after work hours and expect you to answer right away. This is of course your actual time since you are no longer on the clock and you should not be forced to respond to work colleagues.
If you have checked a few items or everything on this list, you are in a toxic work environment but there is always a way out. Start planning and applying to other jobs and create a list of things that are a no-go for the other job so it’s not carried over. There is nothing wrong with starting over multiple times until you’ve secured the right job for you.
You only have one life and it makes no sense to stay in a job that you hate that is detrimental to your health!
Let us know in the comments section if you’ve experienced any of the signs we listed above and how you were able to overcome them.
#What Happens When the Dream Job is in a Toxic Environment
#What Happens When the Dream Job is in a Toxic Environment
#What Happens When the Dream Job is in a Toxic Environment
#What Happens When the Dream Job is in a Toxic Environment
#What Happens When the Dream Job is in a Toxic Environment
