Episode: 491

Episode Title: Is Your Workplace Toxic?

A new study has found that a toxic work culture is the number-one reason people are quitting their jobs. More on that, coming up next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 491 show:

Hi, I’m your host Mark Perna—welcome to The Perna Syndicate! According to a recent study by MIT Sloan, toxic work culture is the number-one reason that people today are leaving their jobs. So what do people see as toxic in the workplace?

Toxic is a strong word that means poisonous, harmful, malicious or causing unpleasant feelings. In the workplace, toxicity can take several forms—anything from bullying or harassment to a company that engages in unethical practices or is dishonest with its employees. 

A toxic workplace can also be one that pays poorly, does not recognize or reward exceptional performance, prioritizes customers over employees, fails to allow internal mobility, denies employees a voice, violates trust, or does not allow employees to have a healthy work-life balance. And all too often, these problems start at the top with leadership. 

And of course, none of this is limited to the in-person work environment. Remote workers are not exempt, and may experience toxic behavior from coworkers or managers via email, video calls, or chat apps. 

The lowest common denominator of the toxic workplace is that employees do not feel safe, supported, or heard. If that’s what it’s like where you work, you might just be working in a toxic environment.

But just as a toxic work culture is the biggest reason people quit, a great culture is the biggest reason they’ll stay. We’ll talk about this and more all week, so stay tuned. We’ll see you back here tomorrow on the next episode of The Perna Syndicate. Take care!