What to do if you’re in a toxic work environment

Q. I am a senior executive and recently changed jobs because the company I had worked for was going through major downsizing. Like many others in a similar situation, I was afraid my position would be eliminated. I had found out about a position from a colleague and while it was a lateral move for me, my job functions and responsibilities changed from my last position. While I am not thrilled with my new daily job tasks I thought I would give it a try but at the end of the day chose to take the job for the sake of job security. The real problem with the new position is that not long after taking the job I realized that I am in a toxic work environment and bad corporate culture. My boss is very difficult to work for as he is a micro manager and I feel as though my work goes unrecognized and unrewarded. Also, there is virtually no open communication among team members within my department. I hesitate to change jobs at this point since it would not look good on my resume and would be difficult to explain without casting some negative suspicions on myself when looking for a new job. I am experiencing a great deal of stress and dread going to work each day. What should I do?

A. Sometimes we can find ourselves in situations that are difficult to cope with which can make us feel as if we are trapped and don’t have any choice in the matter. The truth is we always have a choice. The key to gaining control of the situation and feeling empowered is to focus on finding a solution rather than on the problem. Shifting your mindset will help you to adopt a positive attitude and feel better about your situation which in turn, will lessen your stress. It also helps to think about what you can learn from this situation. One lesson learned could be making sure that you get more information about a new work environment before accepting a job offer in the future.

There are three separate courses of action that you can take:

1)     You can change jobs or bosses within your company by moving into another department working for someone who would be a better fit for you (after doing your research!).

2)     You can attempt to change your boss’ mind or to change the dysfunctional organizational culture for the better.

3)     Or you can cut your losses and go to work for a different company that better recognizes your talents and skills.

While it is possible, trying to change the corporate culture would be very difficult to do and may work against you in the long run as your productivity will be affected and your reputation for being a valuable worker could suffer. Unless you have a lot personally invested in staying where you are, the time and energy investment required of you may not be worth it.

If you should choose to look for a new job, you have a great reason for making a move to a new company. You can explain to prospective employers that you thought you wanted change jobs and perform different job functions, but once you actually worked at the job, you realized it was not a good fit for you. Ultimately, you prefer to work at a job that you love as you know that would make an impact on your job performance in the long run and the contribution you would make to the company.