Are you inadvertently feeding a dog-eat-dog culture?

Stop for a moment and think about your work environment. How does it make you feel?

Under-the-radar behaviour like office politics, gossip and thinly veiled hostility can leave you drained, foggy-brained and doubting yourself. If you’re unknowingly harbouring a sense of shame for burnout, stress or how people treat you, ask yourself what a healthier situation would do for your quality of life and achieving your dreams.

As a career coach, I believe there are brave and radical steps that we can all take right now to eradicate this kind of slowly encroaching misery-making culture.

So what are the easily missed symptoms, how do we break self-perpetuating cycles of toxicity and what can we all do to be part of the solution? If you feel unwittingly trapped with no idea how you got there, follow my five top tips to take back control.

What does a phrase like dog-eat-dog culture mean?

It’s about more than long hours, high pressure and competitiveness; it’s the degree of invasiveness this work culture has on your:

Life.
Home.
Dreams.
Health.

No matter how much you’d like to follow your instincts and find balance, there’s always someone else willing to trash themselves a little bit more to get ahead of you. It can be insidious, taking a slow stranglehold on your self-worth and confidence.

Signs you’ll see around you

These are not always obvious but noticeable when you’re tuned in.

Gossip.
Backbiting.
Politics.
High staff turnover.
An atmosphere of low self-belief and confidence.
Tired and frustrated team members.
Everyone is out for themselves.

Is there anything you can do to protect yourself and your ongoing well-being?

What part can we play in dismantling this culture to make life better for everyone?

What to look for in yourself

Where competition champions over collaboration, empathy takes a back seat. Fear drives a sense of inadequacy in an atmosphere where no one feels like they can say no.

Normalised, cunning and slow-encroaching, it can make you feel like:

Your trust in others is dissolving as you doubt yourself and constantly watch your back.
You’re not adding any value, no matter how hard you try.
Through fear of communicating, you start to regress.
You’re frustrated because you can’t get anything done or perform at your best.
Brain fog is settling in.
Your self-confidence and self-belief are ebbing away.
Your individuality, human qualities and home life are devalued.

Check in with yourself. How do you feel about the above?

Remember that company culture is like the mortar that holds the bricks together: it can be robust and flexible or poisonous and brittle.

Burnout is serious

Doing nothing about the situation can lead to burnout which is life-altering for most people and sadly deadly for some.The World Health Organization calls burnout an occupational phenomenon. Characterised by chronic stress that hasn’t been properly managed, it relates specifically to the workplace.

In one study, the WHO found that overwork killed 745,000 people in one year alone. Overwork and hyper-vigilance are rife in a dog-eat-dog environment as people strive to outrun the competition.

Before we get too dragged down, let’s flip things and imagine a better situation.

What would dog-eat-dog look like if we removed the fear?

Is it possible to remove this culture and still be successful? Consider the advantages of an atmosphere where:

We feel valued as individuals, our place where we fit the bigger picture understood, recognised and respected.
An affirming climate where people’s voices are heard, contribution is recognised and feedback is highly valued.
We’re seen as a whole person: our families, interests, career progression and wellbeing are valued and we’re not just a bottom on a seat.
Work/life balance is a priority, not a perk.
People are honoured for who they are and what they bring with them.

The business case

I found myself in a toxic work environment years ago. I felt like I couldn’t escape; no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t be good enough.

At times like these, some corporate wellbeing initiatives can seem like a box-ticking exercise. What’s so wrong with that?

It’s a waste of time and money.
Problems don’t get solved; they get shelved, dismissed or negated.
The situation continues.

It’s all well and good team-sailing across the Solent on a fancy team development day but does it have the power to change your toxic work environment and your boss’s penchant for shouting when things don’t go to plan?

When you think of the bottom line costs of high workforce turnover (about six to nine months’ salary for each person replaced) and the strong connection between employee engagement and company performance why wouldn’t a business build a nurturing and cohesive team atmosphere?

Dramatic change, one person at a time

We can all make a difference to this culture but it starts with awareness and honesty. Recognising what’s going on around you can be disquieting at first but in time, it becomes something you can’t ignore.

Developing your sense of self-worth is vital in this process because success isn’t dependent on working long hours, emptying your soul and being mean to the people you work with. Your value is in your unique set of skills, experience and personality traits and your simple worthiness as a human being.

A shift in mentality and practices takes bravery because the dog-eat-dog mindset is firmly rooted in fear – and in particular, fear of lack.

By stepping into a frame of abundance where there is more than enough:

money
respect
love
success

we can push aside the toxins that inhibit creative collaborations, robustly compassionate leadership and fresh, innovative thinking.

Whether it involves speaking up, standing up or a complete career transition, there’s something we can all do to dissolve destructive business habits.

My five top tips to make a change today

Where do you start? Follow my five simple steps to get you on your way:

Look around for signs and symptoms and be observant. Awareness is the first point of call.
Recognise the fear behind many of these behaviours and become aware of where it’s coming from. Does it have roots in lack?
Build your innate sense of self-worth to help you to move beyond toxic behaviours.
Speak up, put together a plan for change or move on altogether.
Get support from others – your family, friends, peers or the expert guidance of a coach.

It’s easy to say that if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem but swimming upstream takes awareness, courage, energy and strategy. Be assured that you don’t have to do this alone.

Are you stuck?

My move away from a toxic work culture opened up so many doors I never thought possible, and it can for you too.

If you’re in that space now, I want you to know that I hear you and see you. I’ll be here to support you when the time is right – but for your health and happiness, don’t linger a moment more than you need to.

If you’re ready to talk, I’m an experienced executive and career coach in the UK, who believes that culture shift begins with you. As you discover who you are and the unique value you can bring, your confidence will soar and everyone will benefit.

Simply drop me a line today and let’s start this journey together.