Five signs you are in a toxic office

I just laughed when I first read this but then I thought

well don't Tell em'!.....

If people are so stupid they have to read this article to notice that something is wrong with they're job then they should probably be there? In they're little cubicle.. calling my house at dinner time. Yeah, thats where you belong if you signed on for it. Just do it and I'll hang up on ya and we can go on with our lives..

Now for those of us above this form of slavery we call "work" in Amerika, this is kindof funny. Number 2 would have tipped me wrong from the get-go.

2. Employees are robotic drones.

ikr? LOL...

When individual personalities are shut down and everyone interacts on a safe, inside-the-box level, you won’t see a lot of energy or passion and you won’t get out-of-the-box ideas, Kuske says. This is another toxic attitude that can spread easily and it is also a good early warning sign for yourself. If you find yourself acting this way, it's a signal something is wrong. “To be creative, the first thing you’ve got to build in any business is trust: Trust that you can put yourself out there, and trust in your fellow worker,” he says. “Otherwise people keep all those ideas to themselves.”

Did you read it?

Trust! Trust your co-workers. Trust your boss. Trust yourself, mmhmm, wise. Trust the fax machine. No need to question, just have faith! The system works!

That is how you are recommended to resolve the conflict of "your co-workers being robotic drones".

Got it?

Well in case you don't lets refer back to the list shall we.

You may expect me to go down the list from here, no need! Its all trash!

#1 Sign that your in a toxic office. (I feel like David Letterman)

Everyone there behaves with caution.

Did I misread?

Wouldn't that be the #1 sign that your working on the metal frame of a high rise that builds office space?

If the people you work with watch carefully what they say, restrain how they act, or are cagey about what they share, “that should tell you there’s something wrong,” Kuske says. Ask yourself, do you feel you have to hold back instead of being honest in meetings and office conversations? People are more creative and innovative when they can be themselves at work, he says. A stuffy, stifling work environment stands in the way of progress. And a lack of trust and an overly cautious attitude rubs off easily, making it more likely you will act the same way. “Everybody and the business will benefit by being able to be more comfortable in their own skin at work.”

Basically folks, you will experience the above in any job you work. Usually comes in one way or another of the aforementioned above. It says "A stuffy, stifling work environment stands in the way of progress.". What it doesn't say is we have known this forever and still keep stuffing you mindless worms into cubicles because we don't care. They don't care about you.

smallbusiness.yahoo.com...

I hope some of you get something out of this. I will not work a 9-5 anymore. I don't dread my Mondays or work-life period, I just figured out what it is I enjoy doing and get by on that. I like archeology and ancient history and there are plenty of people around that will allow me to dig up they're back yard. I couldn't recommend it to someone with a large family to feed but could certainly recommend it to a single person.

Being happy with what you do is much more important than what you take home at the end of the week. As long as you can keep the basic necessities theres really no reason to not follow your dreams. The things you own that keep you in the mainstream are sold to you with the same tactics as this article shows. The lower the job %'s are the better an economic collapse looks...

Anyway, I just wanted to share this stupid article. If they're telling you this then do the opposite! Stick with your cubicle job? Whatever you do though, don't trust these people. There is an agenda pushing this.. like most things.

I definitely work in a toxic office. I have an autopilot and I go to my happy place while I'm here. The people around me are obsessed with x-factor and anything else as equally mind numbing. I don't join in with these conversations and I don't watch that much mainstream TV. But if I bring up something I like, I instantly get dismissed with a 'oh, she's off again talking about her science and stuff'
It's horrible. It's like they don't want to learn about the world and they're quite happily inside the little bubble they encased themselves in, ignoring what's really happening with the world.

reply to post by sarahlm

I definitely work in a toxic office.. But if I bring up something I like, I instantly get dismissed with a 'oh, she's off again talking about her science and stuff'

You poor thing, thats really.. terrible. Idk how you deal with it on a daily basis. Noone deserves to have to deal with that, ya know? I mean you signed on for it but you didn't sign on to work with a bunch of sheeple.. I guess thats what ya get when thats what most people are though.

It's horrible. It's like they don't want to learn about the world and they're quite happily inside the little bubble they encased themselves in, ignoring what's really happening with the world

The bubbles they encase themselves in, yeah. Thats what I started the rant about, like if you signed on for it you deserve it etc., but people gotta get by and I can understand your plight. I'm glad you shared how miserable your work life is with us.. I'm positive your not alone.

Lemme ask you though, what do you really want to do/be?

Average office cubicle is smaller than a jail cell.....

think about that for a bit

reply to post by Biigs


and people typically spend 8+ hours of they're day there.

If your only awake for 16 hours thats 1/2 your day...

I thought about it and I think these guys did to, hence the album name "Toxicity" perhaps.

reply to post by 1/2 Nephilim

I have been looking around, I'd love to do something with Astronomy / Astrophysics. I have been looking at college courses and things, but I'm not entirely sure yet.
Can I get paid for spending my day on ATS? dream job haha
In my dinner break at work, I always watch 3min news, you know the Suspicious0bservers guy?
Everyone else in the office always says stupid stuff like 'what do you watch that rubbish for?! it's all hocus pocus'
Yeah, watching 3 minutes of how our Earth interacts with the solar system and how it effects us really is some kind of wizardry and they think I'm insane for enjoying stuff like that, it drives me crazy

reply to post by 1/2 Nephilim

If the people you work with watch carefully what they say, restrain how they act, or are cagey about what they share, “that should tell you there’s something wrong,” Kuske says. Ask yourself, do you feel you have to hold back instead of being honest in meetings and office conversations? People are more creative and innovative when they can be themselves at work, he says. A stuffy, stifling work environment stands in the way of progress. And a lack of trust and an overly cautious attitude rubs off easily, making it more likely you will act the same way. “Everybody and the business will benefit by being able to be more comfortable in their own skin at work.”

Much BS in a workplace is un-needed and counter productive to achieving the business goals.
Why is it there then. My personal opinion looking back over twenty years of working is attributing it to behaviours which flourish because of the following factors

- Empire builders
- Personal interests overide all other interests
- Use of traditional 1960s type Heirachy form of management
- Overmanagement
- Poor emphasis on what really is important and what is not (beaucracy)
- Very high management placing too much trust in middle management
- people in positions of management never promote people who are good as these people will try and raise standard, and tend to expose where the source of the real problem reside, in existing management practices/policy

.

reply to post by Biigs

I think I'd be happier in jail, I will be left to my own devices to read and learn new things, I can't think of anything better. I love learning new things but when I work 12 hours days 5 days a week (and 4 hours on a Saturday), sometimes it's hard to catch up on things.

Originally posted by sarahlm
I definitely work in a toxic office. I have an autopilot and I go to my happy place while I'm here. The people around me are obsessed with x-factor and anything else as equally mind numbing. I don't join in with these conversations and I don't watch that much mainstream TV. But if I bring up something I like, I instantly get dismissed with a 'oh, she's off again talking about her science and stuff'
It's horrible. It's like they don't want to learn about the world and they're quite happily inside the little bubble they encased themselves in, ignoring what's really happening with the world.

I experienced exactly the same thing over here in France, people in their bubble and the only main interesting topic of conversation in their eyes is was whatever TV reality show was/is going on at the time...

The worst thing about it is, is that when you try to create an interesting conversation about something which bares a resemblance to intelligence, they treat you as if you are not normal!

So glad that i work from home now and not having to deal with these kind of people anymore... But the funny thing is, when i am on client visits i am more perceptible to those toxic offices and the people that work in them... It make me laugh but at the same time a little sad to see how people can end up entering into the "Sheep" syndrome!

Kindest respects

Rodinus

LOL, korporate amerika

I knew my job was toxic when the sustainability champion stopped in my office to educate me on recycling batteries and reminding me to shut the lights off when I left the office. As a research scientist, I found the whole episode fascinating. I politely informed him that putting batteries in a special container that goes to a special landfill is by no means recycling.


Korporate amerika is riddled with initiatives of various sorts. Decided by top level bureaucrats in meetings that are handed down to mid-level management in other meetings. Everyone receives their marching orders and the course is set. Unwavering and unmanageable. It's painful to watch and don't feel like participating most days. Unfortunately I have to attend all the meetings

I had a performance appraisal with a manager once and where it was communicated beforehand it was the opportunity for an employee to provide feedback to management on anything related to the business.

So i sat there and told him of some of his some of own management practices/behvaiours i had observed that are lacking and could be improved upon.

His reply was "Dont cross your legs at me, your not a manager".

Lol the guy was and still is a complete Zero!

reply to post by Rodinus

It's insane to watch! I get treat like a nutjob, I don't particularly care, but I just sometimes can't get my head around how they see the world in their safe little bubble. I used to love my job, then one day it's like I saw it for what it was and the people around me, always gossiping, never happy unless they have some kind of drama in their lives and I just can't be bothered with it, so I just switch off, do what I have to do and leave. Luckily my friends have the same outlook as me, so I get to go home to my friends and my own normality and forget about the rubbish day at work I've had.

reply to post by sarahlm

I saw it for what it was and the people around me, always gossiping, never happy unless they have some kind of drama in their lives and I just can't be bothered with it

This appears to be the case in most work places and indicates the problem is not with the work place but due to some flaw in the human condition, that manifests itself in the workplace.

I want to move into a line of work which isnt for of beaucratic management nonsense. anyone have any ideas?

Very much related to work enviroment.

www.planningforfailure.com...

I take it, we all don't like being made different than what we are really about.

Well I like my job but it wouldn’t be for everyone. I definitely have to trust those I work with because my life depends on it. Unfortunately the project I am working on has been shut down till the weather gets warm again at which time it will be time to fly back to New Mexico. Once a week I do sit at a cubicle like desk and write reports but it’s nice to be in the AC that day and when I am done there is no sticking around. If I had to work in an office everyday well I would probably go crazy. Oh well.

reply to post by Grimpachi


I like your avatar .

But, yeah.. Your job sounds swell, to which I have no job and have to struggle with a very poor job market. Count your blessings.

Hmm, while I get where you're coming from, it's a bit much.

The sheeple you refer to might not have an interest in archaeology, they might not have a genuine interest in anything that can be used to eek out a comfortable living, besides...what quality of life would we have is there were no sheeple doing the jobs you seem to think are beneath you?

Like I said, I get where your coming from...it's all rather nasty, though...isn't it? Live and let live and all that. I'm quite lucky, I enjoy my job and get to spend a large part of my working day outside and enjoying relative freedom. I don't enjoy interacting with co-workers too much but that's down to me and my own neuroses. They're just normal people trying to get by.

I don't really want to work some 40+ hours a week, but I provide a service, and people use that service...they use it a lot, I get some satisfaction out of it from time to time. Sorry for being so outspoken but I thought your comments were a bit harsh...people got families and stuff that need feeding and can't afford to have the same carefree attitude that you do. I've no kids or anything like that, and it'd be great to live a life of leisure, doing the things that I enjoy...sadly, for most people - sheeple or otherwise, the choice isn't that simple. People have families that they put first, and rightly so - I've far more respect for, say - a motyher who opts for a weekend of watching television, x-factor and whatnot than the mother who goes out partying leaving their kids to fend for themselves. Sometimes the "sheeple" have to prioritise. I'm glad my mother had her priorities right and taught me there's no shame in earning money through hard work...you won't always like it but such is life.

Take pride in what you do, I always have, even the jobs I really hated. I always tried my best...even if you're mopping a floor...there's no shame or disgrace in earning a wage, whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability and take some pride in it.

This is why I take pride in being a plumber. Worst I have to deal with is a supervisor who micromanages.

Have fun in your boring cubicle.

I'll be honest and say it used to bug me, the gossiping, the idle chit-chat...the "hi, how are you?" and the feigned interest in what others say and spend their time doing.

I think even the most guilty protagonsists see it for what it is, you have a load of people, many of whom have zero in common - thrown together and they have to make the best of it.

Many of these people have responsibilities, they've no choice but to knuckle down and do their best. As I see it ow, it's just people trying to make the best of what they have - most folk watch x-factor because their options are quite limited for various reasons.

I like that I can leave the premises and work between 2 different sites. I like that I can get up and leave without having to suffer it all day, but that's me. I've always liked working alone, I don't mingle well, especially first thing of a morning.

I don't harbour any ill feelings or anything towards those who go with the flow, just trying to make the best of the hand they've been dealt. I found, recently...that when you really get to know people, for the most part, they're unhappy with things as they are. Just because people don't constantly whine on about how false everything is doesn't mean they don't see it.

Sometimes it's best to just button up and keep on...I think most people switch off and actively try to forget how futile it all is because there's little alternative, we're not special or unique because we see it for what it is and speak about it openly. You'd be surprised what makes a lot of people tick, you'd be amazed at some of the interests people have...that guy you see most mornings and think looks as dull as ditchwater might actually be quite interesting when the facade crumbles and the true person emerges from the rubble.