There are periods in everyone’s career where they just don’t enjoy going to work. Social media has increasingly popularized the term “toxic workplace” over the last couple of years, making it a common reason cited for leaving an organization.
However, genuinely toxic workplaces are rare. Often, dissatisfaction stems from a stage in a person’s career or a challenging phase (season) the company is navigating. Understanding the distinction can provide a more balanced perspective and help individuals decide whether it’s truly time to leave.
Stages
Stages are periods in a person’s career that are typically unavoidable and usually involve learning something new. These stages can be stressful as they push you out of your comfort zone, involve making mistakes, and require frequent corrections from management. Unfortunately, stages are necessary to build expertise. It’s akin to developing muscle memory in sports or grinding for XP in a video game.
Since these stages are tied to career progression, they are rarely the fault of the employer. Changing jobs won’t eliminate the challenges of that career stage. For instance, in Town Planning, many planners go through a phase of approving single residential projects. Completing one doesn’t mean mastery—repetition is essential. Moving to a new organization may not change the tasks assigned, and attempting to work on more complex projects without the foundational skills could lead to future struggles.
To determine if you’re in a stage, ask yourself:
- Is it the tasks I’m doing, or the people around me, causing frustration?
- Will my role fundamentally change if I move to another organization?
Forward-thinking organizations should recognize when employees are approaching a challenging stage. Regular career reviews can identify what’s ahead, outline potential difficulties, and offer support. If your organization fails to do this, specialized recruiters can often assess if you are at a stage that needs to be grinded through, or if you are being held back in your role.
Being in a stage isn’t automatically a reason to leave. Look around your organization for examples of people who have successfully navigated your stage. Such individuals can be valuable mentors. On the other hand, if there’s a lack of such examples, it may indicate that the organization struggles to develop talent at your level.
Seasons
Seasons are short periods when things aren’t great, but you know they will pass. Even paradise has occasional bad weather. Similarly, some work projects may feel uninspiring or have unrealistic deadlines. Leaving a great place to escape short-term discomfort may not be worth it, as every workplace experiences tough times.
However, there’s a difference between a brief storm and a prolonged monsoon. In Design practices, for example, employees may initially accept long hours to meet a tight deadline on a large project. But if one project leads to another with similar demands and no respite, it signals a deeper issue.
To evaluate if your company is going through a short rainy season, ask yourself:
- Did I enjoy working here six months ago?
- What has fundamentally changed?
- Can I see a return to an enjoyable environment in the near future?
If you believe things will improve, remember the adage “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.” Set a calendar reminder to reassess in a few months. If conditions haven’t improved despite giving the organization a chance, it might be time to move on.
Toxic Workplaces
The term “toxic workplace” has gained traction in recent years. While it’s important to highlight bad practices that harm employees’ mental health, the term is sometimes overused.
A toxic workplace is one where management lacks the emotional intelligence to recognize bad culture, the empathy to address it, or the skills to enact change. These organizations often have high turnover and few long-term employees.
In such environments, no perks—like free fruit or early-finish Fridays—can fix the underlying issues. If you find yourself in a toxic workplace, it’s best to leave.
Signs of a toxic workplace include:
- High employee turnover.
- Counteroffers to keep departing employees, which often fail to address the root problems.
While toxicity varies by individual perception, understanding the difference between a stage, a season, and a genuinely toxic environment can help you maintain control of your career.
Candidates who recognize their career stage can actively seek employers prepared to guide them through it. In contrast, those who act impulsively fearing that they are in a toxic environment can act out of desperation and risk making less discerning career choices.
Feel free to reach out to myself or one of the team if you want to chat about your current work situation. You can also browse through a catalogue of different jobs here.
