#5: Harmful Workplace Habits That Burnout Employees—and How to Handle Them
Workplace culture can make or break your experience at a job. While a positive culture fosters collaboration and growth, toxic practices create stress, burnout, and resentment. From hijacking your to-do list with “urgent” tasks to unpaid overtime and requests outside your role, navigating these challenges isn’t easy. But you don’t have to suffer in silence. Let’s break down common toxic practices, what they look like in action, and how to push back with grace and professionalism.
1. Hijacking Your To-Do List with “Urgent” Requests
Sudden “urgent” tasks can derail your workflow, leading to stress and inefficiency.
Definition: This occurs when managers or colleagues interrupt your planned work with “ASAP” tasks, forcing you to drop everything to address their priorities.
Example: You’re focused on a project with a tight deadline when your boss drops a last-minute “urgent” request, expecting you to prioritize it immediately, regardless of the impact on your existing tasks.
Why It’s Toxic: Constantly shifting priorities leads to lost productivity, unfinished tasks, and elevated stress.
How to Handle It Respectfully:
Acknowledge the Request: “I understand this is important and needs attention. Can we go over my current priorities to ensure nothing critical is dropped?”
Communicate Your Capacity: “I’m currently working on [task]. If this is more urgent, I’m happy to shift priorities, but I’ll need guidance on what can be delayed.”
2. Unpaid Overtime and Excessive Work Hours
“Staying late” becomes the norm, not the exception.
Definition: This toxic practice occurs when employees are expected to regularly work beyond their scheduled hours without additional compensation.
Example: You find yourself working late into the night, not because of a special project or crunch time, but because staying late has become an unspoken expectation.
Why It’s Toxic: Unpaid overtime leads to burnout, impacts work-life balance, and creates a culture where employees are overworked and undervalued.
How to Handle It Respectfully:
Set Boundaries: “I’ve noticed I’ve been working late often. I’d like to discuss prioritizing my tasks so that I can achieve better balance and avoid burnout.”
Address Directly but Politely: “I’m happy to give extra time for special projects, but I’d appreciate discussing how we can manage workload more sustainably and compensation.”
How To Say No: Here’s a great role-play video from Chris Do on how to say no when this happens.
3. Requests Outside Your Role
Being asked to do tasks that don’t align with your job description.
Definition: This involves being regularly asked to take on duties that are outside your defined role, often without proper acknowledgment or compensation.
Example: A project manager is frequently asked to handle administrative tasks, even though it’s not part of their role and affects their ability to focus on their core responsibilities.
Why It’s Toxic: Consistently handling tasks outside your role can make you feel undervalued and create resentment, as it often goes unrecognized.
How to Handle It Respectfully:
Clarify Expectations: “I’d love to help, but I’d appreciate clarity on whether this falls within my role’s expectations. If it’s recurring, perhaps we can re-evaluate my responsibilities.”
Offer a Compromise: “I’m happy to assist this time, but I’d like to discuss how we can ensure tasks align better with my role moving forward.”
4. Lack of Recognition and Praise
Your hard work goes unnoticed.
Definition: This toxic practice occurs when employees consistently go above and beyond but receive little or no acknowledgment for their efforts.
Example: You completed a major project that drove significant results, but leadership fails to recognize your contributions publicly or privately.
Why It’s Toxic: Lack of recognition demoralizes employees and makes them feel undervalued, ultimately reducing motivation and engagement.
How to Handle It Respectfully:
Bring It Up Constructively: “I’m proud of the impact [project] had. I’d love to discuss how we can continue to leverage these results and potentially showcase our team’s efforts.”
Ask for Feedback: “I appreciate constructive feedback and recognition—it helps me understand where I’m succeeding and where I can grow.”
5. Micromanagement
Being constantly monitored and controlled.
Definition: Micromanagement occurs when managers closely oversee every detail of an employee’s work, limiting autonomy and undermining trust.
Example: A manager insists on approving every step you take, down to minor decisions, making you feel incapable or not trusted.
Why It’s Toxic: It stifles creativity, demotivates employees, and creates a hostile work environment where trust and innovation can’t thrive.
How to Handle It Respectfully:
Seek Clarity: “I appreciate your guidance and support. I’d love more autonomy on [specific task] to see if I can deliver independently. I’ll keep you updated.”
Propose a Check-In Schedule: “Would it be helpful to have regular check-ins instead of reviewing each step? I believe it could streamline our process.”
6. Vague or Constantly Changing Expectations
Moving goalposts make it impossible to measure success.
Definition: This toxic trait involves unclear goals or expectations that shift frequently, leaving employees feeling lost and frustrated.
Example of Toxicity: You’re given a project with unclear objectives, and just as you near completion, the scope or goals are changed without warning.
Why It’s Toxic: It creates confusion, wastes time, and leads to low morale due to constant rework and uncertainty.
How to Handle It Respectfully:
Ask for Clarification: “To ensure we’re aligned, could you clarify the goals and scope of this project? I want to make sure I meet expectations effectively.”
Request Stability: “I’d appreciate more consistent goals to avoid unnecessary rework. Can we solidify the objectives before moving forward?”
7. Toxic Gossip and Backstabbing
A toxic communication culture.
Definition: Toxic gossip occurs when negative talk about colleagues, projects, or leadership spreads, eroding trust and creating divisions.
Example: A co-worker regularly undermines others behind their backs, creating tension and distrust within the team.
Why It’s Toxic: It creates a hostile work environment, damages relationships, and impacts morale.
How to Handle It Respectfully:
Avoid Participation: Politely change the subject or remove yourself from conversations that involve gossip.
Address Directly: “I believe we should keep conversations constructive and focused on solutions rather than dwelling on negative talk.”
Conclusion
Navigating toxic workplace practices can be challenging, but you have more control than you think. By identifying and addressing these issues with professionalism and respect, you can protect your boundaries, reduce stress, and foster a healthier work environment. Remember, standing up for yourself respectfully doesn’t just benefit you—it sets a positive example for everyone around you. If you want to learn more on how to handle difficult situations like this, I highly recommend Jefferson Fisher’s YouTube channel where he is on mission to improve your communication.
