When the Sunday scaries start creeping up on you every night of the week, it might be time to reconsider your job. It could be burnout. It could be the wrong career path. But it could also be your body telling you that you’re in a toxic work environment.
The scale of the toxic workplace crisis
Workplace toxicity has become a serious problem for American workers. New data from 2025 shows that 80% of US employees say their workplace is toxic—that's up from 67% just a year ago. This isn't limited to certain industries or job types. It's everywhere, and it needs our attention.
- More than three out of four workers (74.9%) say they've been in a toxic work environment at some point in their careers. The American Psychological Association's 2023 Work in America Survey found that around 22% of US workers are currently dealing with mental health issues because of their job. Gen Z seems especially aware of workplace toxicity and is more likely than older workers to leave toxic situations.
- The fitness industry tops the list; 98% of workers there report toxicity. Automotive comes in second at 94%, with restaurants and food service at 91%. Healthcare workers, teachers, and tech professionals also face significant challenges, but really, no industry is immune.
- About 87% of employees say toxic workplace culture has hurt their mental health. Workers in toxic environments are three times more likely to suffer mental health problems than those in healthier workplaces. We're talking anxiety, depression, trouble sleeping, and burnout.
What we mean by “toxic” work environment
According to MIT’s Sloan School of Management, a toxic work environment is characterized by five aspects: It’s disrespectful, non-inclusive, unethical, cutthroat, and abusive. A toxic workplace goes beyond having a bad boss; usually, the issues are systemic.
If your workplace makes you feel constantly on edge and psychologically unsafe, you may be in a toxic environment.
Signs of a toxic workplace
What does a toxic work environment look like in practice? Here are eight signs.
1. You don’t feel respected
You’re haunted by self-doubt: are you the problem? If you’re constantly led to believe that you aren’t smart enough, strategic enough, or hard-working enough, while receiving minimal support, your workplace may be toxic.
Did you know? Only one in three workers strongly agree they got recognized for good work in the past week. In fact, 40% of employees say they receive recognition only a few times a year. In toxic environments, withholding praise is a control tactic.
2. Poor communication
Communication problems are the second most common cause of toxicity (69.8% of employees report this according to the iHire 2025 Toxic Workplace Trends Report). The issues include inconsistent messaging, lack of transparency, and withholding information, all of which leave people confused and suspicious.
At the same time, you have no room for mistakes. Toxic workplaces run on fear and punishment instead of learning. In an environment such as this where healthy communication practices are deprioritized, mistakes lead to public criticism or written warnings rather than conversations about how to improve. This leaves employees paralyzed and unwilling to take any risks.
3. Lack of trust and micromanagement
Micromanagement is another sign that you are not respected or trusted. A boss who demands to review every minor task can gaslight you into thinking you’re incompetent.
Did you know? Just 21% of US employees trust their organization's leadership. Without trust, managers resort to oppressive monitoring that kills creativity. Workers in high-trust environments show 80% higher motivation than those who are constantly watched and doubted.
4. Office gossip and a lack of respect
Is there a distinct chill when you walk into your workplace? Do your teammates gossip, exclude, or make disrespectful personal comments (about race, gender, nationality or other aspects)?
These are all signs of a workplace that is not inclusive or civil. In a healthy workplace, you should feel empowered to go to your boss or HR to report inappropriate comments or behavior. But if you feel like that won’t make a difference, the issues may be systemic.
Did you know? In total, 71.7% of employees in toxic workplaces deal with harassment. This includes rumors, social exclusion, and public humiliation. This contributes to depression, anxiety, and other real negative impacts on mental health.
5. Unhealthy work-life boundaries
You’re expected to be on call even when you’re not at work. You’re discouraged from taking vacation days or time off for obligations outside of work. All your colleagues arrive early and stay late.
Researchers call it "the infinite workday." There are constant expectations for email and message responses during evenings, weekends, and even vacation time. Toxic workplaces treat impossible workloads as normal and offer no real support for work-life balance.
6. Your boss is a bully
Does your manager berate you for the slightest mistake? Do they resort to insults or name-calling? Or maybe you don’t get yelled at, but instead you constantly have to endure a condescending or sarcastic tone. All of these are signs of an emotionally abusive boss.
If your boss acts like a monster, you could try to do an internal transfer at the company. But a company that doesn’t check or discipline abusive bosses may have bigger issues with culture.
Did you know? According to 78.7% of people who’ve experienced workplace toxicity, bad leadership is the main contributor to workplace toxicity. The most common practices that defined bad leadership were a lack of accountability, favoritism, and unethical behavior (read on).
7. Your company is unethical
Maybe your company is cutting corners on the quality of services or products. It could be ignoring regulations or engaging in “creative” accounting. Or maybe your colleagues and leaders are directly pressuring you to lie to customers or use unethical sales tactics.
When your company is engaging in shady behavior, there isn’t much you can do without becoming a whistleblower and accepting the fallout (including losing your job). A workplace that lies to customers or regulators won’t treat its employees well, either.
8. Gaslighting and psychological manipulation
This is one of the worst forms of toxicity. Gaslighting means making employees doubt their own reality. This can take the form of denying conversations happened, shifting blame, and dismissing their concerns. Common phrases include "That never happened" and "You're just too sensitive."
What’s definitely toxic: if your colleagues are intensely competitive to the point of refusing to share valuable information, if they “forget” to invite you to important meetings, or if they tattle on you when you make mistakes.
You shouldn’t fear your coworkers. A healthy workplace should be built on trust with your fellow employees.
Should you leave a toxic work environment?
Unambiguously, yes. You don't need anyone's permission to leave a job that's destroying you. Give two weeks' notice if you can manage staying professional about it, but your health matters more than those two weeks.
Ongoing stress from a toxic workplace can take a lasting toll on your physical and mental health. A toxic job can cause burnout, anxiety, depression, and even affect how often you get sick.
None of that is worth it. If you found yourself nodding along to more than one item on the list above, it’s time to start looking around for a new job.
How to leave a toxic work environment
Leaving a toxic work environment requires some planning to protect your well-being and career. Here are practical steps on how to exit a toxic workplace:
- Decide if you really want to leave. Pay attention to how the job affects your health and happiness. If most days leave you feeling terrible, getting out isn't just reasonable; it's necessary.
- Start looking for a new job quietly. Update your resume and apply to positions when you can. Keep this low-key. No need to announce anything or make sudden changes.
- Save some money. Set aside cash to cover your bills in case the job search takes longer than you'd like. Even a small cushion helps.
- Keep doing your current job as well as is reasonable. Don't burn bridges, no matter how tempting. Stay professional even when things get difficult.
- When you find a new job, give notice politely. Send a straightforward resignation email or speak to your boss directly. Keep it brief, thank them for the opportunity, and say you're moving on.
- Take care of yourself after you leave. Rest up, do things you enjoy, and give yourself time to decompress from what you've been through.
How to deal with a toxic work environment: Two examples
Kyle Kolodziej
Kyle is just one example. He had worked many jobs that weren’t very satisfying: sous chef, food truck operator, wine and liquor sales rep, project manager. He wanted a career he could commit to. But after getting a second degree in cyber security and starting to work in that field, Kyle quickly realized that it was the worst fit by far. He was constantly on call, fixing easily preventable errors, and he was on the edge of burnout. It felt like an actual curse: “Warlocks in D&D or World of Warcraft — they do soul drain. It felt like I was the target of that very consistently,” Kyle recalled.
He eventually found his path in QA Engineering via TripleTen’s bootcamp and landed a job at a small fintech company. When asked if the decision to switch to tech was a difficult one, his first response was a hearty laugh, followed by an unambiguous “No.” Comparing his current role to his previous one, Kyle says, “I'm way happier.”
Brandon Adam
Now, toxicity doesn’t just come in the form of burnout and soul-draining work. In fact, in some situations such as Brandon Adam’s come with ethical concerns that touch on literal toxicity. See, Brandon was working in the cannabis industry, and he was told to spray the plants with chemicals. “They had me spraying a whole bunch of stuff all over the plants, like stuff that you would not want to be smoking,” Brandon said. “That was my breaking point, and I was like, ‘All right, I can't be doing this anymore.’”
So he decided to switch to tech, and thanks to TripleTen’s Software Engineering program, he gained the skills he needed to pivot. He stayed dedicated, and after sending in roughly 150 applications, he landed a new job where he’s thriving in a non-toxic environment. “I’m a hundred times happier,” he said. “Now that I have my new job, I'm not angry at work anymore and I don't have any ethical concerns about what I do.”
Thinking about making the change like they did? Our Employer Report found that nearly 80% of decision makers are already hiring candidates with non-traditional backgrounds, and 86% were confident or very confident in hiring bootcamp grads for entry-level roles. And our most recent Outcomes Report found that 82% percent of our students get a job in tech within six months of graduation at a median salary of $76,000.
FAQ
How can I protect my mental health while working in a toxic environment?
To protect your mental health while working in a toxic environment, set boundaries. Stop trying to solve every single problem or make every person happy. Stop looking at emails in the evening. Actually take your lunch break. Use those vacation days sitting in your account.
Find somebody outside of work to vent to. Keep a journal to track what's going on and get your thoughts out of your head. Build something in your life on your own outside work. Importantly: don’t hold onto the job to your detriment if nothing works; no paycheck's worth destroying yourself over.
What steps can I take if my manager is a toxic leader?
If your manager is a toxic leader, keep a record of the specific things they've done, making sure to include dates and proof such as screenshots, if possible. Try talking to them about smaller issues first. Maybe they honestly don't realize the impacts of what they’re doing. If that goes nowhere, take what you've documented to HR.
Check if other employees are dealing with the same problems. Ask for a transfer if that's an option. Update your resume and look around. Bad managers rarely get better, so don't waste years hoping they'll wake up one day and change.
Is my workplace toxic or am I overreacting?
To know if your workplace is actually toxic, listen to your gut. Dreading work most days? Can't fall asleep Sunday nights? Getting anxious just thinking about walking into the office? Something's definitely wrong. Ask yourself: when people mess up, do they get coached through it or punished? Is there constant drama? Do you feel genuinely supported? Run your situation past friends who work elsewhere. Does it sound normal to them? You're probably picking up on legitimate problems.
What is the biggest red flag that a job is toxic?
The biggest red flag that a job is toxic is a high turnover rate. When good employees keep bailing, believe what that's telling you. Other huge warnings include managers screaming at people in front of the whole team, constant late nights being considered run-of-the-mill, and leadership never owning their mistakes.
What are the first signs of toxicity in the workplace?
The first sign of workplace toxicity is a breakdown in communication. People start withholding information, messages get weirdly confusing, or colleagues begin talking behind each other's backs instead of just being direct. This then snowballs. With bad communication, mistakes happen, and when mistakes happen, instead of solving them, there's a blame session. The next stage is almost inevitable: employees get stressed out, exhausted, or they completely check out mentally.
How do you deal with a toxic coworker?
To deal with a toxic coworker, don't play their games. Keep everything professional and stick to email; paper trails really matter here. Never share personal details they could potentially use against you. Don't trash-talk them even when they absolutely deserve it. Document their behavior if it's actually messing with your ability to work. Focus on doing your job well and building solid relationships with your non-toxic colleagues. Remember: you're not trying to win some battle. You're protecting yourself.
How can I tell if I'm being toxic?
To tell if you’re being toxic, be really honest with yourself. Do you constantly complain without ever trying to actually fix anything? Gossip about your coworkers? Refuse to take ownership of your mistakes? Push back against every single piece of feedback you get? Do people seem uncomfortable when you're around? Have multiple colleagues had issues with you? If you're saying yes to several of these, you probably need to take a hard look at your own behavior.
Can HR fix a toxic environment?
HR might be able to fix a toxic environment, but don't bet on it. HR exists to protect the company, not you. They'll handle legitimate legal threats such as harassment, discrimination, and clear-cut policy breaks. But if the problem's leadership or just the culture, HR typically can't or won't touch it. Report your issues anyway and document everything, but definitely have a backup plan. Actually fixing a toxic workplace requires leadership that wants to fix it, and most toxic places don't have that.
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