OG Tuesday Issue #148

YOU DO YOU

Is your workplace toxic? Take the quiz

Some warning signs (abuse, harassment, and unethical behavior, just to name a few*) of a toxic work environment are crystal clear. Other signs may be a bit more ambiguous. They weigh on you, but you still wonder if you’re just being too sensitive.

Here’s a quick quiz to help you determine if you may be in a toxic, but not obviously so, work environment.

You’ve got a big deadline in two days. What option below best describes what you do?

A) Keep your head down and get your project done, like you always do.
B) Send your boss a detailed status update so she knows you’re still on track. (Better to volunteer the information than wait for her to ask.)
C) Schedule a meeting with your boss for the day of the deadline, so the two of you can review what you’ve done together.

You’re about to take a vacation. What option below best describes what you do?

A) Have a meeting with your backup person so they know exactly what to expect while you’re gone.
B) Add reminders so you don’t forget to check your emails and Slack while you’re out, but just three times a day.
C) Put up your out of office reply and head out. You’ve earned this. (And you told your boss about your absence at least a month ago.)

During meetings, my colleagues will sometimes irritate me by…

A) Checking their messages while I’m talking.
B) Rolling their eyes when I volunteer ideas.
C) Bringing snacks they don’t intend to share.

You ask your work BFF to join you for a long off-site lunch. How do you imagine he’ll reply?

A) “Yes, please! Let me just tell my boss where I’ll be, in case we’re delayed.”
B) “Ugh, sorry. I shouldn’t. I haven’t finished the prototype yet, and I just know my boss will freak out if I walk away from my desk before it’s done.”
C) “I’m on a bit of a time crunch today, but I could totally do tomorrow.”

You want a raise and you know you deserve it. (You’ve run the numbers. Twice.) What option below best describes what you do?

A) Work on perfecting my pitch so it’s ready for my annual review in a month.
B) Talk to some more coworkers first to find out if the rumors about the last person who asked for a pay increase are true.
C) Talk to some more coworkers first to find out how the organization usually handles pay increases.

*If you are experiencing harassment, discrimination, or abuse at work, you can take action to protect yourself immediately.

Regulatory boards, such as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, recommend starting small, within your team or company, and then escalating as necessary:

• If you feel comfortable, ask the perpetrator to stop.
• Reference your company policy on the incident and follow the steps as provided. If there’s no policy and you feel comfortable, talk to your supervisor to get guidance instead.
• File a charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Results

If you picked 3 or more Bs…
Your work environment might be toxic.

Some ideas for what you might do:
Just as toxic work environments come in all shapes and sizes, options for navigating a toxic work environment come in all shapes and sizes. However, one rule of thumb applies in all situations: Proceed in a way that makes you feel comfortable and safe.

Determine which “toxicities” most affect your mental health and try to set boundaries around them.

For example…

• If you find it draining to be available 24/7, then tell the people who contact you most often after hours that you would prefer to communicate only during standard work hours. If the problem persists, you might consider posting your availability in your email signature and/or sending after-hours work calls straight to voicemail.
• If you can’t stand being micromanaged, then identify the specific behaviors your boss does and pinpoint why they bother you. (When you check in on projects before they’re due, it makes me feel that you don’t trust me to complete them on time.) Turn your thoughts into a script you can use to talk with your manager directly. It will be uncomfortable, but it may open doors for positive change or make it more clear that your boss is unwilling to compromise with you.

If boundary-setting doesn’t work (or hasn’t worked in the past), then start looking for another job.
Take your time to make sure your next place is a better fit. You don’t even have to begin the job search immediately. Just setting a goal to get out within the year may reduce the psychological weight of working in a toxic space.

If you picked 1 or 2 Bs…
Your work environment might be a little toxic.

Some ideas for what you might do:
Start documenting (along with dates and times) toxic behaviors or situations. This will provide clarity about what actually happened when you’re looking back. Review your notes after you’ve been tracking for a month or if things start to feel worse. If necessary, refer to the steps above.

If you picked 0 Bs…
Your work environment might be mostly healthy.

Some ideas for what you might do:
Keep on doing what you’re doing. If things change for any reason, remember that you never have to accept toxic work environments as normal.

TOGETHER WITH BONUSLY

Swipe This Stay Interview Template

It’s rare that you can change someone’s mind in an exit interview. A stay interview gives your employees a safe space to share how you can better support and develop them for the long haul.

When you proactively identify strengths and weaknesses in your retention efforts and company culture, you can make improvements before employees leave.

The free Stay Interview Template includes:

• 👉 Directions for how to use the template.
• ✅ Guided questions around manager feedback, company feedback, and building connections.
• 💡 Tips on how to make the most of your stay interviews.
• ⚙️ Additional tools and resources to build resilient teams.

👉 Get your free stay interview template

GET MORE SH*T DONE

Executive Presence: Courses, Videos, and Trainings for 2023

• Six Traits of Executive You via Alison
• Developing Executive Presence via LinkedIn Learning
• Purpose & Executive Presence – Webinar with Stephen Boyle (Youtube) via UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School
• The Insightful Leader Live: Do You Have Executive Presence? (Youtube) via Kellogg School of Management
• Building an Executive Presence with Thought Leadership (On Demand Webinar) via LinkedIn
• Executive Presence: Moving From A Cubicle To A Corner Office via Udemy

• Executive Presence Certificate Program via eCornell
• Executive Presence for Women via American Management Association
• Executive Presence and Influence: Persuasive Leadership Development via Wharton Executive Education/University of Pennsylvania
• Executive Presence Training via Ariel Group

TOGETHER WITH MIRO

Our Top Templates Available Now

 

🙌 We finally did it!

We took our top most downloaded productivity, icebreaker and DEI game templates and partnered with Miro to give it to you all for free.

Here’s what you’ll get from this ultimate bundle:

• 6 Productivity & Planning Templates
• 3 Meeting Icebreaker Templates
• 6 DEI Interactive Game Templates

👉 Get The Templates Bundle Today

P.S. Sign up free for Miro with your work email or log in to access the templates.

WATERCOOLER TALK

Celebrate the ADA on July 26

PARTNER PICKS

Our awesome partners help keep our content free

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

Latest Listings

SPILL THE TEA

Hooray, You Made It to the End of Our Newsletter!

Riddle me this: I come from a mine and get surrounded by wood always. Everyone uses me. What am I?

⭐ Answer here.

👉 Here are all of July’s OG Tuesday Riddles.