Make the most of a toxic work situation …when you can’t quit your job, yet!
/Have you had a bad week, bad month, bad year, bad manager, bad culture, bad project? Whether it’s been a day or a decade, if work is toxic, it’s easy to want OUT, stat.
Saying goodbye can be the best next step for a variety of reasons. But even when you know you need to leave, sometimes the timing isn’t right so you have to stick it out regardless. How can you make the most of a toxic situation at work when you can’t quit your job - yet?
There were many proponents of “quiet quitting” swirling the internet within the last year that I frankly don’t agree with. Quiet quitting says “you're quitting the idea of going above and beyond.” Although this sounds healthy and “cool” in nature, in practice it’s only hurting yourself because you will incidentally craft a negative reputation.
Unfortunately, that reputation follows you to more places than the job you’re currently in.
Here is what Forth would recommend instead:
Take a personal audit: what’s working and what’s NOT working
Many times I find that when one thing is not great, we let it seep into other areas of our work and ultimately our life to convince us that EVERYTHING is bad. When in reality, it’s one relationship, one project, one manager, one bad review, etc. Taking an audit of what you’re enjoying at work and what you aren’t allows you to see clearly the facts versus the emotions.
PS – during this exercise, the more specific the better
How can you prioritize the things that bring you joy?
Sometimes it’s as simple as “raising your hand” to see how you can get in the room you want to be in. Even if this means working additional hours or taking more responsibility, that “extra work” gets out-weighed by your joy to do work that excites you! Once you identify those areas that are going well, how can you think outside of the box, get creative, ask for opportunities, and begin to advocate for yourself in your career? Even just in the short term.
Creating boundaries between work and home
If you’re in a tough work season, setting and sticking to boundaries between when you’re working and when you’re not is the first step in gaining some of your life and ultimately happiness back.
We often convince ourselves that “we have to work all the time.” Who is telling us that? Is it our manager? Is it our peers? Are we assuming that based on what we see? I had a mentor tell me once “I don’t want my value proposition to be the number of hours that I work.”
Personally, I like to get the best work done in the shortest amount of time. How can this be true for you? What boundaries or expectations or even time management practices can you put into place to still accomplish lots of good work, keep your reputation strong, and still go to dinner with your friends stress-free!
Which are you implementing first? How has this changed your perspective on your current situation? We would love to chat with you to hear about it. Email us at elle@goforthllc.com so we can connect with you!