Dealing with a Toxic Work Environment? Here Are 7 Steps to Take...Stat

Whether in the form of a bullying boss or scheming coworkers, toxicity in the workplace is hugely detrimental to employees’ mental health. How? Per a study by researchers at Lund University in Sweden, over the past 20 years, toxic work environments have contributed to increased depression, substance abuse and other health issues. The bottom line is, toxic workplaces are unpleasant and unhealthy. But short of quitting your job and finding another (which is the right move in certain situations), there are thankfully ways to mitigate the stress caused by working in a toxic office. Here, I've pulled together seven tips for dealing with a toxic work environment.

When your teammate starts ragging on your shared manager’s propensity for dipping out 45 minutes early, don’t bite the gossip bullet and jump in (we know—it can be tempting). Instead, offer a neutral response and pivot to a new subject. Once they realize you won’t take part in their bad-mouthing bouts, they’ll probably start looking to do it elsewhere (aka with a receptive audience). Hopefully, your dismissal will also signal that her behavior is not normal. Or nice. Or appreciated.

It’s one thing to occasionally vent to your partner or roommate about how much work is killing you; it’s another to make it the centerpiece of every conversation. Be conscious of how often you’re talking about your job around your loved ones and make sure the majority of your conversations are about things other than your conniving desk mate or micromanaging boss. Not only will the people around you get tired of hearing about your work woes (even though they do want the best for you), it’s not healthy to dwell on things you can’t control. It’s all about balance.

Even if it seems like everyone you work with is toxic in one way or another, chances are there are at least a few people who are feeling the same way as you are. If you notice a colleague facing similar issues, try to gauge how they’re feeling about the situation without gossiping (which will just backfire). Once you establish that you’re on the same page, you’ll be able to lean on each other and commiserate.

If tensions have reached a tipping point, it may be time to address the issue head on. In stressful situations, it’s often difficult to get out all the things you want to say, so practice first on a close friend who’s familiar with your workplace woes. Running through your points ahead of time (your boss is always asking too much of you, your superior is constantly taking credit for your ideas, etc.) will help you retain your monologue, feel more confident and ultimately be more effective in your delivery.

A micromanager boss pits their need for control against your need for autonomy. Navigating this tension is all about building trust. You won’t get autonomy until they get their certainty. In order to gain trust from a micromanager, you have to provide them with the things they crave the most: information, inclusion and, yes, control. Here are some tactics to try: First, try to anticipate their needs. The more you learn about their expectations, the more you can proactively address them, removing the need for them to micromanage. Second, communicate clearly and keep them overly informed. This means providing regular updates, plus status and progress reports before your boss asks for them. Keep in mind, this could be as simple as a daily email that lists all your projects and their status or CC-ing them when relevant. Finally, do your best to adopt their standards. You want to align your work to their preferences and learn what markers of quality your boss wants/needs, then deliver on them. (This also may require assessing yourself and looking for any trouble spots that are preventing your boss from trusting you.

Thanks to uncertain job markets and financial responsibilities, quitting your job in favor of one that will be healthier for you isn’t always an option. But, if you are able to think about finding a new company, it’s worth considering. Even if now isn’t the right time to make a move, it can never hurt to keep your future options open by mastering the art of networking, or, if there’s another department you're interested in at your current company, put feelers out to see if there's a place for you. (You can even spin the reason you're switching teams to make it seem like it was your narcissistic boss's great idea.)

If leaving your job isn’t an option at the moment, it’s important to make sure that your life outside of work—something have more control over—is fulfilling. This could mean scheduling a vent session with a friend in a similarly toxic job, picking up a soothing hobby like yoga or prioritizing self-care (post-work bath, anyone?). The point is to ensure that, even though your 9-to-5 might be super frustrating, you have something to look forward to once you clock out every day.