How to spot the signs of a toxic workplace and find your way forward

Welcome to Let's Talk Offline, LinkedIn's podcast (and newsletter) about what it takes to thrive in the early years of your career — hosted by me, Gianna Prudente, and Jamé Jackson Gadsden. Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to the newsletter to join our community of work besties.

This week on Let's Talk Offline

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What does a toxic workplace look like?

They're hard to spot — especially when you're early in your career. You may not even know you're in an unhealthy situation until you move to a better place or until someone points it out.

Obvious signs of a toxic work environment include bullying, harassment and endless office conflict — just to name a few. But, there are plenty of other subtle signals that you might pass off as normal. For example: fear of making mistakes, a culture of blame or favoritism, lack of recognition and career advancement opportunities — the list goes on.

Let's take bullying as an example. If a co-worker starts and continues to make condescending remarks to you, you might silently wonder if anyone else is noticing. These moments can feel isolating, like you have no one to turn to. That shouldn't be the case.

"The hope is that you can go to your manager," employee relations expert Kayla Moncayo told us on the latest episode of Let's Talk Offline. "If you can't go to your manager [...] I think it's really, really important that you have some sort of communication with somebody that's outside of the organization."

Even if your boss is someone you can trust, confiding in a friend or family member about the behaviors you're observing or personally experiencing can help you figure out if they're normal or not. And if they're not? The next step is likely to reach out to your manager — if you can and haven't already — or HR partner for support. 

Receipts, receipts, receipts 

One of my main takeaways from our conversation with Kayla was the importance of documentation — both ahead and after the conversation with your manager or HR partner.

"Get as many facts as possible," Kayla says. "Date, time, who, when, where… Once you have those facts sort of written out in [a] Google doc, that's when you can pull in how you felt."

Kayla emphasizes that detailing your emotions is crucial but to keep those notes separate from the facts. 

"I find that if we don't separate the two, our documentation just tends to be a letter about how hurt we are instead of a guide or a chronological account of what has been happening," she says.

Documentation should happen as soon as possible after an incident occurs so you have the most accurate account, Kayla adds.

Whether you're reaching out to your manager or HR partner, Kayla says to mention that you've been documenting behaviors that have impacted your experience and ask if they are open to talking. View them as a collaborator to help you find a solution to the problem. After you meet, Kayla strongly suggests emailing them a recap of your conversation for further documentation.

Great advice, but what if your manager is the problem? This week's Dear Work Bestie segment addresses a listener's question about dealing with a team leader who puts the blame on them. 

What we covered in the episode

As you can tell, there's still a lot to discuss around this topic — like dealing with a toxic boss, spotting an unhealthy work environment before joining and more. We dig into it all in the latest episode of Let’s Talk Offline. Click here to listen and catch a sneak peek below.

In this episode's Show the Receipts segment, Jamé and I tackle a trend called "conscious unbossing." Gen Zers are apparently saying "no thanks" to the management track. Is it true? Tune in to hear our takes.

After listening, tag us on LinkedIn in a post with your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you!

Before you go…

A reminder to listen to, follow and rate the show on your favorite podcast app. See all the ways you can find Let's Talk Offline here. Plus, send us your questions for our Dear Work Bestie segment at letstalkoffline@linkedin.com. 

See you back here next Tuesday! We'll be joined by LinkedIn Top Voice Timm Chiusano to help answer the question: should you job hop early in your career or climb the corporate ladder? Timm, who recently left his job after 11+ years, will present the case for growing at a company and our very own Jamé will present the case for switching roles.

As always, remember Jamé and I have your back. So if you need to chat, let's talk offline.