Stress, burnout linked to toxic workplace behaviors

“Toxic behavior -- yelling, manipulating, bullying, undermining others, displaying abusive management style -- creates a negatively-charged workplace that triggers reduced efficiency, lack of motivation, desire to leave, and burnout,” says Human Resources researcher Diana Blazaitiene.

In many cases, the toxic behavior starts at the management level, sometimes employees ignite it with certain workplace conduct and frequently they do not recognize toxic behavior traits they might be displaying, Blazaitiene explains. When it comes to who is responsible for a negatively-charged work environment, employees do not always understand that their certain behavior—overreacting during any interaction, feeling victimized all the time, or creating unhealthy competition— might be a culprit.

“When they feel like their workplace has become toxic and impairs their daily tasks, many employees tend to attribute the issue to their leaders without stopping for a minute to consider whether they might be a part of the problem,” she said. “Every member of a team is responsible for creating an atmosphere that sparks productivity, goal realization, effort and teamwork.”

Behavioral patterns on the employee part that might lead to a toxic workplace include feeling victimized but not doing anything about it, refusing to take proactive steps in eliminating toxicity from workplace, passively observing abuse, infusing too much meaning into every feedback or interaction and creating unnecessary competition with colleagues.

Blazaitiene urges staff to reflect on their workplace behavior and eliminate potential toxic actions. That said, employees shouldn’t attribute all the blame to themselves either.

“As crucial as it is to start the changes within oneself to make the workplace productive rather than demotivating, employees should also be responsible for their mental well-being and identify when the toxic behavior originates from employers so that they could be vocal about it,” she said.