Are Most Workplaces Toxic?

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WAYNE RIVERS: Hi everyone. This is Wayne Rivers at Performance Construction Advisors, where We Build Better Contractors.

This week, I want to talk about toxic workplaces. Oh, my. Before I do, don't forget about Boot Camps coming up this fall. Contact Charlotte and she'll get you the information you need for your rising leaders.

So, I got an article from Inc. Magazine in October of 2025, written by Kit Eaton. And he or she, I'm not sure, says that it's not just you. This survey says most US workplaces are toxic. And they quote a Monster.com survey taken in '24 and '25. They said that in 2024, 67%, two-thirds of workplaces, according to the employees surveyed, said they were toxic. That's horrible. Two thirds? 2025, 80%. Four out of five. Are you kidding me? Said the places they work are toxic.

Now, I find that hard to believe, but let's assume they know what they're doing and that's just shocking to me. This could easily be why 57% of those surveyed said they consider quitting work over toxicity. Why 29%, almost one out of three, would accept a salary cut in favor of changing roles to protect their mental health. And 14%, they'd give up vacation days for a year, if they could work in a more friendly workplace.

All right. What about this is important to you? Well, come on. If these numbers are even ... Cut them in half. 67% in '24, 80% in '20. Cut them in half. That still is a terrible message. Now, if you remember, we did a vlog a year or two ago where construction was considered the number one happiest industry among all those at the bottom were education, law and medicine. So maybe that's who these people are surveying, but these numbers are bad and nobody wants to be in a toxic workplace. And certainly none of us who are leaders in our companies want to think that we're engendering a toxic workplace.

All right, let's define it first. This article defines it as an environment where negativity and unhealthy behaviors permeate the company's culture. Okay. I'll buy that. That's reasonable. How do you know? All right, this is 13 signs. 13 signs that you may be in a toxic workplace. The first one, poor communications, and that can be characterized by silos of communication and then colleagues who withhold information to protect themselves or to gain power over others.

Two, cultures of blame and finger pointing. Oh, that's not my fault. Boy, that's an absence of leadership there. Three, unhealthy work-life balance. Why don't we call it life-work balance? Alphabetically speaking, it should be life-work balance, and maybe that puts a healthier framework on it. I don't know. But it's always work-life balance. Maybe I'm going to start saying life-work balance, and maybe that'll be a little bit better.

Number four, low or no appreciations. This is such a simple thing. We talked about it this morning in our meeting. Such a simple thing. I just don't understand why going the extra mile and adding that extra pat on the back of that extra thank you is just so low effort, high payoff. Appreciations are easy to do.

Five, low trust, which leads to number six, micromanagement. Micromanagement happens when you don't trust the people around you are going to do their jobs the way you would like them done or the way you think they should have them done. Those two go hand in glove.

Number seven, favoritism and clicks. This group over here gets the plum assignments and the most appreciation, et cetera. This group over here, not so much. I don't get that either. Poor ethics. Number eight, poor ethics. I know that could be ... I haven't experienced that in ages and ages, but that could be a real morale killer to observe leaders or observe leaders allowing poor ethical behavior to exist in the organization.

Number nine, this should be number one, high turnover. High turnover is the number one characteristic of toxic, poor, unappreciative workplaces. When people just can't stand it anymore and they think the grass is greener across the street, that's a terrible sign, especially if you're losing the people you can least afford to lose. Your most talented people.

Number 10, low morale, goes without saying. Number 11. Abusive behavior, which includes humiliation, requiring employees to do work on weekends or nights on their own time to make up. Let's say expecting that, but even some places could require it. That's terrible. 12, harassment goes without saying.

13, a deviance like stealing, gossiping, threats. I've actually seen that. I remember way back in the day where there were physical threats in a family business from one family member to another. Boy, that happened more than one occasion. It happened quite a few back in the old days. We're more picky now. How about who we work with? Thank goodness.

Okay. Now, what do you do if you find yourself in a toxic workplace? Well, get out. It's going to help your mental health. Leaps and bounds to get out. Mental wellness as a workplace priority is not an afterthought. Happier workers are more engaged driving up productivity and boosting profits. Unhappy workers may also quit over these issues and high employee turnover rates aren't good for a productive work environment, and they also push up your costs.

I think we owe it to ourselves. If you think about work, you spend more time with your colleagues at work, 40, 50, 60 or more hours a week than you do with your own children after work, with your friends at your church, et cetera, et cetera. Being in a toxic workplace is so mentally taxing.

One of the things that's not mentioned in the article, but one of the things that I experienced in a previous life and a previous career was the Sunday afternoon dread. Weekend goes great, you're having fun, you're doing whatever. And then about 3:00 or 4:00 on Sunday afternoon, it dawns on you that you've got to go to this awful place that you actually dread going to Monday through Friday of the coming week. And that was just an awful thing. I haven't had that, thank goodness. I haven't had that in 37 years, but it was awful, I can tell you.

Get yourself into a healthier place, get help, talk to other people, talk to folks in your peer groups or at your round table meetings, your Boot Camp meetings, et cetera, et cetera. Let me know what you think, [email protected]. This is Wayne Rivers at PCA where We Build Better Contractors.

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