I have encountered – and overcome – a number of significant obstacles in my career thus far, and in writing this, I endeavour to help others along in their professional journeys.
What follows are five pieces of advice on leaving a toxic workplace.
1. Create opportunity
Don’t wait for opportunities to make a change – create them.
While circumstance may play a part, we are ultimately the authors of our own opportunity. Some of us may feel stuck in an unhealthy work environment, but it is easier to leave a toxic workplace if you are able to create opportunities to do so.
Creating opportunity for yourself doesn’t have to follow a certain formula. To find opportunities that work for you, you should first identify your strengths and weaknesses and then work to align them in a way that is unique to you.
Remember that no one is perfect. Although you may feel beaten down by a toxic employer, for example, remember that it is OK to be imperfect. Oftentimes, it is these imperfections that create opportunities for change, including personal growth, innovation and success.
After you’ve identified your general path forward, don’t be afraid to explore it. It’s OK to stumble along the way, so long as you keep moving. Ultimately, it’s all part of the journey.
2. Commit to diversity
All too often, toxic workplaces arise as a result of a toxic culture. A culture shift is key.
Whether you decide to leave a workplace or try to change the culture of the one you are in, you should commit to community and diversity.
For example, when creating an opportunity for yourself, you should think about ways to create opportunities for others. A cutthroat “me-first” attitude will only get you so far, for so long. It just isn’t worth it, and the bad karma will catch up to you. Recognizing that structural inequality exists, and working to level the playing field, will only strengthen your community, your profession and, ultimately, yourself.
Committing to diversity is especially important for those of us who work in traditionally male-dominated industries. Elevating and empowering women and other visible minorities enriches us all. Find ways to put diversity into action and avoid tokenism.
3. Cultivate connections
We are much more powerful together than we are alone.
I speak from a place of experience when I say that those who wish to unfairly profit off the back of your hard work will attempt to limit the number of professional connections that you have available. This is because these types of connections often translate into options, which can help you identify unfairness and exploitation. They can also help you explore new avenues for growth, including tangible ways out of a toxic situation.
Connections are powerful. They create community. Those who are supported through a sense of community are likely to have more options and information at their disposal, which can translate into powerful advantages in the workplace – including the option of whether to stay or to go.
Cultivate these options by cultivating your connections. Your career will thank you.
4. Confront toxicity
Here’s the bad news – systematic discrimination is alive and well.
While no workplace is perfect, some are more imperfect than others. Harmful stereotypes, bullying, micro-aggressions and inequitable business policies and practices all play a role in perpetuating a toxic culture that only serves a small portion of the population, while disadvantaging everyone else.
The good news is that you can put a stop to it.
Whether you decide to leave a workplace or to stay and revive its culture, confronting the toxicity that exists is an important step. Discrimination depends on complacency and thrives on silence. Finding resourceful and empowering ways to confront toxicity in the workplace will help put an end to it. If you are in a position to confidently confront toxicity, you should do so on behalf of yourself and others.
5. Be your own champion
Social niceties often demand humility. This is particularly so for women who are frequently subject to different expectations and standards than their male counterparts.
Too often than not, women are taught to be accommodating, polite and even self-effacing – but this is out of touch and archaic. This will lead to a toxic and ultimately inhospitable working environment.
Stand up for yourself. Recognize that even though you may feel stuck in a toxic workplace, you have the skills and the drive to move past it. Don’t blame yourself for your circumstances – change them.
An important part of this is being an advocate for yourself. Talk about your accomplishments, your talents and your goals.
Don’t be afraid to acknowledge when you succeed at something and to get the word out there. Brag a little – or a lot. And when it comes to failure, don’t be too hard on yourself. Failure is a part of the journey. Acknowledge the disappointment and move forward. Take care of yourself and prioritize your well-being.
After all, if you aren’t going to, who will? •
Sarah Leamon is a criminal defence lawyer and the founder of Sarah Leamon Law Group.
