My work environment is incredibly toxic.

19 Comments

1. 3GrandkidzMarch 11,2024 at 12:13PM UTC

   Keep your eye on the prize.

2. Amy CollinsMarch 11,2024 at 12:15PM UTC

   Hi! Things don't sound easy... remembering that you have choices will help you get through this.

   1) These people don't define you. You have a choice to not let their behavior affect yours. Stay professional and friendly... perhaps there's one or two people you connect with, for your own sanity?

   2) Find another role that allows you to keep your vesting.

   3) Leave. You may decide there's nothing else out there and you need to bide your time.

   Finally, find things outside of work that bring you joy!

3. Lisa MarieMarch 11,2024 at 12:46PM UTC

   Hang in there. Focus on the benefits and find ways to rise about the negativity.

   From experience, I know how draining and tiring existing in an environment wih ",emotional vampires" can be. Find one or two others who are not part of the problem, and support each other. Try to remain positive, and take it one day at a time.

   Good luck.

4. AnonymousMarch 11,2024 at 12:59PM UTC

   Don't let them run you off

5. Sandra SwearingenMarch 11,2024 at 1:03PM UTC

   Keep your head down and stay out of the drama.

6. AnonymousMarch 11,2024 at 1:21PM UTC

   Sandra is absolutely right. There is no magic answer. Control what you can control which is you. Work around the rest.

   I would add to put your energy and focus on your personal life. Surround yourself with kind and authentic people and spend your time doing the things you love. Activities that bring you joy. That will help you recalibrate your mindset and keep your life full of goodness.

7. Terrie McWhorterMarch 11,2024 at 2:09PM UTC

   Hang in there!!! I am 50 DAYS from retirement after 20 years federal service and the hits keep coming. So much so that I sent my Chief an email stating "Wow...is everyone coming after me now? Starting to feel a tad bit harrassed and I know if this was happening to a less experienced individual they would file a claim." Things have been quiet for a bit but I am truly waiting for the other foot to fall.

8. AnonymousMarch 11,2024 at 2:24PM UTC

   I have no advice but i am in the same situation as I to work in government. I thought I could last until retirement but the work environment has changed me and not for the better. I am now whiny and I do throw people under the bus but not intentionally. I despise the person I have become. When I first started I took up for fellow team members. I was strong and somewhat confident but now i constantly question my abilities. My manager has 2 write ups through HR against them for being a bully but everybody thinks they are a saint. I am at the point from working under them afraid to ask questions because I don't know what is going to set them off and at times have been told I can't ask other people questions. Because of my position I care about quality and the exactness of documents and I was really surprised when talking to a couple of teammates when one said that they did not care because we are not a fortune 500 company and in a couple of years if the document is not correct it will not be a problem for them because they will not be working. I have been in a situation where there has been inaccurate or no documentation and it has made my job very difficult so I try not to do that to others. Maybe it would be better if I had that mind set.

9. Michelle RicketsonMarch 12,2024 at 12:48PM UTC

   I'm so sorry for your situation. There are a lot of positions open. Look for something that fits your skills and interests, and provides a better environment. Best wishes.

10. Emmaline SwansonMarch 11,2024 at 2:59PM UTC

    make sure you keep balance between work and life and build the right support system around you. its incredibly hard to chose between leaving or staying, especially with equity involved. make sure to prioritize your mental health, sometimes if it's so bad, the money isn't worth it. look at for yourself above all else, and remember that the way people treat others is a direct reflection of how they feel about themselves, it's usually never about us.

11. AnonymousMarch 11,2024 at 3:21PM UTC

    Don’t give up!

12. AnonymousMarch 11,2024 at 3:57PM UTC

    I commend you for lasting that long. I only lasted six months in a government role - I couldn’t take the incompetency, utter apathy and ability of everyone to turn a blind eye to glaring problems. It was like watching a train careen towards a cliff while everyone just stood there watching without saying a word. I couldn’t do it.

13. AnonymousMarch 12,2024 at 12:28PM UTC

    Yep, our tax dollars at work. Anyone who wants government managed anything should have to work in something like that to see how horrible it truly is.

14. AnonymousMarch 11,2024 at 11:34PM UTC

    Remember, its a job, not life.

    Focus on the priorities (checklist) and the positive: income. Ignore all else, especially the drama. I'm a seasoned accountant and I focus on one thing at a time. Take a break, refocus. Wash, rinse, repeat.

    Come EOD, I focus on ME

15. AnonymousMarch 12,2024 at 1:31PM UTC

    My sister was in the same position. I made her a calendar lasting until her last day with funny quotes about bad jobs on each day. She crossed off each day when she finished work. Sounds like a small thing but it really worked for her.

16. Zeecil KimmelMarch 13,2024 at 1:02PM UTC

    There is a cool clock that can do a countdown. My cousin got it and programmed it to her wedding day. You can see the days, hours and minutes. Highly recommend it - will let you keep your eye on the goal.

17. Cecile Marie GirouxMarch 12,2024 at 2:47PM UTC

    Do not let go of the mango tree until you have a firm hold of the next mango tree's branch - climbing back up after a fall is not easy. Use this visualization to get by-

18. AnonymousMarch 12,2024 at 4:56PM UTC

    Head down, get the work done. Realize it is just a job at this point and take time to feed your soul outside of working.

    Realize that work life has unfortunately changed with remote work being a thing.

    Spending time focusing on what is not working at this point is futile in your situation if you plan on sticking it out. Is it financially worth staying? and professionally? If it isn't perhaps cut the cord sooner? Work is not life your happiness and not being subjected to toxicity is worth more.

19. Star7March 14,2024 at 3:15AM UTC

    Hello, You mentioned you are in government. May I ask, local or Feds? I have been in Feds for awhile, and am regretting it, but it's hard at the moment to make a change out, or diff agency. I got caught up in the Obama years lovely economy, and this was the agency that hired me. I say no more. I get you.