The topic for today is Toxic Work Environments. I am covering this topic because it seems to be everywhere. Toxic Work Environments is a topic that I can NOT avoid.
When you look at the history of America, work has not been pretty nor easy. Agricultural work and the industrial revolution transformed America over time. Eventually, leading to laws that were supposed to protect workers.
However, it has become clear that many employers have become excellent at NOT complying with modern day labor laws or even common decency. Bullying, mobbing, discrimination, harassment, intimidation, retaliation and more have become common in today's workplace. These behaviors are despicable and inexcusable but nevertheless they are occurring.
In the news it has caught my attention that numerous former NFL cheerleaders are taking various legal action(s) against their former NFL teams due to alleged toxic work environments. The cheerleaders allege many specifics and you can read more about this below.
Here are just a couple of the news articles about this:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/sports/nfl-cheerleaders-lawsuit-.html
https://www.npr.org/2018/04/15/602490797/an-nfl-cheerleader-brings-her-firing-over-an-instagram-photo-to-the-eeoc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDTqU2m_Tn0
More recent coverage about NFL and cheerleaders:
https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/football-team/post-report-further-details-alleged-mistreatment-washington-football
Some of my colleagues have described an increase in the number of clients seen for workplace related issues. Many times these individuals are being seen through Employee Assistance Programs (EAP).
In my opinion, toxic work environments have reached epidemic proportions. Individuals are seeking help from their health care providers to excuse them from work for a period of time in order to recover. Increasingly, people are struggling with ill health, addiction(s) and anger management related issue(s) due to toxic work environments.
Here is a recent book relevant to this topic, "Dying for a Paycheck: How Modern Management Harms Employee Health and Company Performance—and What We Can Do About It", written by: Jeffrey Pfeffer.
It may be hard to believe but I found that behavioral health clinicians face much the same. This prompted me to write a book entitled: "Burn Out Self Care for Behavioral Health Clinicians". Toxic work environments prompted me to open up my own company, so that I could determine my own working conditions.
Here are some potential signs of a toxic work environment:
* Name Calling.
* Blatant discrimination.
* Ongoing favoritism towards certain workers.
* Sexually harassing behavior.
* Supervisor(s) behaving erratically.
* Being overworked.
* Bait and switch tactics.
* NOT being paid for work.
* NOT treating an individual(s) with respect and dignity.
Are you working in a toxic work environment?
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