Seven Traits of a Toxic Company

They Want You to Start Immediately, But You’ll Never Leave

They need you to jump in right now, but when it’s your turn to exit, you might as well start planning your retirement.

You have to check if the manager left before you can leave.

Trying to leave on time? But your mind says, my productivity is measured by how long I stay at your desk, not by what I actually get done.

The Office is a Revolving Door of New Faces

New hires every week? Either the company’s got a revolving door or it’s so bad that people would rather run a marathon backwards than stick around. Frequent hiring means:

• Either company is very bad or bad at hiring.
• They are filtering candidates by hiring in hoards and discarding the ones that do not perform back to the market.
• Could be the company is expanding.

Office politics could rival a soap opera.

Your office feels like an episode of some soap opera? Alliances form, secret meetings happen, and drama unfolds minus the cool spy gadgets.

Need a day off? Better Write an Essay First or Navigate a Maze of Approvals

Know how to prepare to draft a dissertation or battle through a hierarchy of approvals. Toxic companies treat your personal time like a rare commodity, not a basic right.

Promotions? You’ll Find Out When the Stars Align

Clear paths to promotions? Never heard of them. If career growth feels like solving a Sherlock Holmes mystery, you’re probably dealing with a company that’s all smoke and mirrors.

Everything is an “urgent” priority.

In a toxic company, every task is “URGENT!” like they’re running an emergency room instead of a business. Panic is their default setting, and deadlines are as flexible as a rubber band.

Every new request has a deadline. And when the deadline passes, it is not really talked about.

Meetings About Meetings About Meetings

Endless meetings that could have been emails with pre-meetings to plan the next meeting. Bonus points if the meetings don’t even start on time.

In the morning, I had to detail what I had to do that day or did the day before.

In the afternoon meeting, I had to show the progress on how things are going on.

In the evening, I had to give an update on what’s done. As much as I am an efficient employee. 3 hours out of 9 hours per day was a waste of time.

Being gaslighted.

In some companies, certain seniors or colleagues will use manipulative tactics to make you question your own abilities — this is known as gaslighting.

If you leave a meeting with your supervisor feeling diminished or doubting yourself, chances are you’ve been gaslighted. This toxic behaviour can crush the mindset of new employees eager to learn.

It’s often done by those who are skilled in talking but lacking in actual expertise. The goal? To make themselves look like they’re in control and indispensable to higher-level by undermining others.

Conclusion

So, there you have it: a delightful tour through the land of toxic workplaces, where efficiency takes a backseat and drama is the main attraction. If you find yourself in a job with these traits, consider this your sign to start polishing your resume. After all, life’s too short to spend in a job where the only thing rising is the level of office politics and stress.