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CAREERS

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7 signs you’re in a toxic work environment – and what you can do about it

“Toxic work culture describes a culture where the workplace is plagued by in-fighting, passive aggressiveness, shouting across the office, drama and unhappy employees to the point that productivity is impacted,” explains Alexandra Lichtenfeld, business mentor at Client Matters. “The mental wellbeing of employees will also be affected when working within a professional environment such as this. In a toxic work culture, ordinarily, nobody raises issue with these behaviours and attempts to influenc
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What does ‘fast-paced environment’ even mean? And does anyone actually want to work in one?

If you’ve ever spent an afternoon scrolling through the job pages of Indeed or LinkedIn, it’s likely you’ve come across the phrase ‘fast-paced environment’. As far as job adverts go, the phrase is as common as they come – alongside ‘dynamic’ and ‘proactive’, the concept of a ‘fast-paced environment’ has long reigned supreme in the world of recruitment. But despite how ubiquitous a phrase it is, no one really seems to know what it means. To some, a fast-paced environment simply describes a busy,
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How to deal with ‘pleasanteeism’, the toxic behaviour that’s harming our wellbeing

We all want to be perceived well at work – but have you ever stopped to wonder whether the way you behave in front of your colleagues could be taking its toll on your mental health? There’s nothing wrong with trying to be professional, but going out of your way to put on a ‘brave face’ and hide when you’re feeling sad, stressed or angry – also known as ‘pleasanteeism’ – can actually make you feel worse in the long-run. It’s why bottling up our emotions can be so damaging – when we deny ourselves
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5 toxic ‘hustle culture’ habits that are harming your wellbeing – and how to unpick them

“Hustle culture has been on the rise over the last two years,” explains Fatmata Kamara, a specialist mental health nurse advisor at Bupa UK. “Following the pandemic and multiple lockdowns, many of us have felt the pressure to stay busy and make up for lost time. However, leaving little time for yourself to unwind and relax can be harmful for your mental and physical health.” Kamara continues: “Burnout, stress and fatigue are all signs you’re suffering from hustle culture. While ‘hustling’ can in
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13 easy ways to switch off from work at the end of a long day

While the boundaries between work and home may not be quite as blurred as they were during the pandemic for those of us who have returned to the office part or full time, switching off from ‘work mode’ at the end of a long day can still be pretty tough. If you’re the type of person who feels the urge to check your emails on the train home or finds yourself running the day’s events over in your head while you get ready for bed, you’ll know what we’re talking about – even when you don’t mean to, t
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3 things you can do to thrive at work as a highly sensitive person

Navigating the working world can be an intense experience for anyone – let alone if you’re a highly sensitive person, or HSP. In a society that celebrates those who thrive in fast-paced, cutthroat environments, the estimated 15-20% of the population who experience the world more intensely and deeply than others are often forgotten. But just because HSPs might find some aspects of work more challenging, it doesn’t mean HSPs can’t find a way to thrive in the workplace.

In fact, in some respects,
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Why it’s time to start putting your out of office response on 24/7

Like a lot of people nowadays, my job requires me to spend quite a bit of time writing and responding to emails. And while sitting down at my desk filtering through my inbox isn’t exactly the most arduous task, it does have the potential to up my stress levels and leave me feeling pressured to respond at all hours of the day – especially if people are waiting on me to get back to them. As such, I’m always on the hunt for a new technique to help me keep my emails (and related stress levels) under
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Would a 4-day week solve our burnout problem, or is it all too good to be true?

You don’t need to be an expert to know the UK is plagued by burnout. Even before the pandemic, the issue was making headlines – government statistics from 2019/20 revealed that 51% of all work-related ill health that year was due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety – but the blurred boundaries and expectation to be ‘on’ 24/7 triggered by the shift to working from home have made things even worse.

The UK is currently in the process of finding out. Today (17 January), a four-day working
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Feeling ‘stuck’ in your career? Here’s how to coach your way out of it

As a time of year that’s all about new beginnings and setting goals for the year ahead, January is often a period when many of us reflect on our careers and what we want from the next 12 months at work. However, after living through almost two years of a pandemic – and dealing with the disruption of working from home and the day-to-day stress of coronavirus restrictions – many people have been left feeling stuck when it comes to their career.

But what about those people who didn’t quit their jo
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How an ‘anti-perfection’ approach can make you happier at work

We all like to do our best, but there comes a time when the need to do or be perfect becomes a problem. There’s a reason why so many articles and self-help books describe perfectionism as a curse – not only can it encourage you to be highly self-critical, but it can also hold you back. And while it may not seem like it, perfectionism can be pretty problematic when it comes to your productivity levels, too. You might think wanting everything to be perfect would drive you to achieve more, but the
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How to get to grips with productivity anxiety (aka why you feel bad for not doing ‘enough’)

We’re a society obsessed with getting things done. From hustle culture to productivity apps and competitive busyness, the ability to juggle a million and one tasks has become as much of a status symbol as a pair of the latest trainers or an aesthetic Instagram account. And while there’s nothing wrong with ‘getting things done’ – after all, we all have jobs to do – the extent to which productivity is taking over our lives is taking its toll; essentials like sleep and self-care have become yet ano
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9 women who quit their jobs on the biggest lessons they learned in the process

If you’ve been thinking of quitting your job recently, you’re definitely not alone. We’re in the middle of what many have been calling ‘the great resignation’ – a moment when workers all over the world have been reconsidering what they want from their jobs post-pandemic. Indeed, according to a new survey from the recruitment firm Randstad UK, almost a quarter of workers are actively planning to change employers over the next few months – citing reasons including burnout and unhappiness at work f
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Underwhelmed and exhausted at work? You could be dealing with boreout

Over the last couple of years, more and more people have woken up to the reality of burnout. The syndrome, which results from “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” has been on the rise partly due to the blurring of work/life boundaries many have experienced while working from home during the pandemic. But what people don’t know is there’s another work-related condition that shares its symptoms with burnout: boreout. The condition, which results from feeling underwork
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Why it’s time to ditch our obsession with being ‘busy’

We live in a world where being ‘busy’ reigns supreme – especially when it comes to work. Think about it: when was the last time you got through a day without attempting to juggle multiple tasks at once? From sending emails and attending meetings to replying to messages and making phone calls, our working days are filled with a million and one different tasks and obligations on top of the actual work. The problem? While these tasks may be keeping you busy, they’re likely stopping you from being p
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The two letter word that could help you avoid burnout

Being a people pleaser is such an intrinsic part of me it might as well be written into my DNA. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted people to like me. It doesn’t matter whether they’re one of my best friends or a stranger on the internet – in my brain, having the people I interact with think I’m a decent person is important. I’m definitely not the only person who thinks this way. While you may not have such an extreme case of what I like to call ‘people-please-itis’, the majority of us

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