Employees are using up their vacation and sick days to avoid their toxic workplace

The good news is that workers are taking advantage of their vacation time more than they have since the start of the pandemic. The bad news is that they’re using a significant amount of that time to avoid their toxic workplace.

Around 77% of workers report experiencing some form of workplace toxicity, according to a survey by outplacement and career coaching firm INTOO. That includes things like managers showing favoritism to some employees over others, workers spreading gossip or rumors about colleagues, and bosses squashing workers’ work-life balance. Of employees who report work-related toxicity, around 44% say they have taken vacation time or personal leave to get away from it. Another 33% say they’ve used sick time to avoid their toxic work environment.

“They’re literally feeling sick from their work, which is different than [saying,] ‘Oh, I’ve been busy at work and I’m taking Friday off because I need a mental break,’” says Mira Greenland, INTOO’s chief revenue officer. “It’s really just a different mindset.”

Around 80% of those who have experienced a toxic workplace say it has negatively affected their mental health, according to INTOO’s research, while around 75% say it has impacted their physical health. And employees are pessimistic that these toxic conditions will improve. Around 50% of those surveyed believe their company will take “very little” or “no” action to address it. 

But if these symptoms go unaddressed, companies could risk losing money from hampered performance and high quit rates. Around 84% of workers say the negative work environment has been detrimental to their engagement and commitment to their employer, and 79% say it negatively impacted their productivity. Around 35% of workers say they would take a pay cut to work for a company with a less toxic workplace.

Of course, for many companies, they simply may not realize that these issues are brewing within their workforce. “Certainly no one wants to think of themselves and their workplace as being toxic,” says Greenland. “And I think the most toxic workplaces probably don’t have that self-awareness that they’re really toxic.”

However, the report outlines a few changes HR and managers can make to help support employees, much of which involves developing better listening and communication skills. While 42% of workers complained that managers or leaders ignoring feedback contributed to a toxic work environment, around 33% also said more transparency and communication would create a more positive workforce. “Communication costs no money. Listening to feedback is free,” says Greenland. 

Managers should also be trained in how to engage workers in conversation about topics like career development, job satisfaction, and conflict resolution. 

That “may seem straightforward if it comes naturally to you,” says Greenland. “But for people who it doesn’t come naturally to, these skills have to be learned, like everything else in our jobs.”

Paige McGlauflin
[email protected]
@paidion

Today’s edition was curated by Emma Burleigh.

Around the Table

A round-up of the most important HR headlines.

- Some Silicon Valley bosses and workers are taking psychedelics to boost productivity and creativity—and despite the risks, they say it helps them do their jobs. Wall Street Journal

- New York’s new budget will increase pensions for about half of the city and state’s public workforce while improving benefits for incoming talent. Bloomberg

- Delta will increase wages for its non-union staffers by 5% as a union seeks to organize its flight attendants. Quartz

Watercooler

Everything you need to know from Coins2Day .

Southern strides. A Tennessee Volkswagen plant has voted to unionize, signaling growing support to organize in the South, a region which has been reluctant to join the labor movement. —David Koenig, AP

Deterrents. An Indian consulting agency is reducing bonuses for hybrid workers in an attempt to get employees back into the office full-time. —Ryan Hogg

Dialing back. Google’s CEO warned employees against debating politics in the office following the controversial firing of 28 workers who protested the company’s contract with Israel. —Orianna Rosa Royle

Us vs. Them. Remote work has made in-person socializing at work more difficult, but befriending coworkers may also lead to office gossip and drama. —Trey Williams