Member-only story

No, It’s Not You. It Really Is That Bad.

How to tell if you’re toxic or not.

Jessica Wildfire
6 min readJun 25, 2019
Photo by Allie Smith on Unsplash

The facepalm is strong with you these days. You can’t survive an afternoon without asking yourself, “Did that really just happen?” Your coworkers refer to your workplace as Elm Street.

The ones you talk to, at least.

Quitting a toxic job is a lot like breaking up with someone — with one important difference. You can remain single after a breakup. But unfortunately, you can’t stay unemployed. Oh, and I guess you don’t have to give a boyfriend a two week notice.

Finding a new job might present a challenge if you’re part of the culture you can’t stand anymore.

Some of the most toxic people I know are the first to complain about a toxic work culture. How ironic. You don’t always smell yourself. Every job has that one nasty, hot mess. But when it feels like you’re steeped in radioactive sludge, it pays to stop and reflect. How do you know you’re not toxic? How do you know it really is that bad, and not just you?

1. You still do favors sometimes.

Selfishness is the hallmark of a toxic colleague. They make everything about them. They only believe in quid pro quo. They’re the first to complain about their workload or low salary.

--

--

Responses (15)