According to a study, a toxic workplace is defined by the dynamics of the relationship an employee shares with the workplace. “A toxic workplace environment is defined by narcissistic behaviour; offensive and aggressive leadership; threatening behaviour from managers and co-workers; and harassment, bullying, and ostracism. A physical and mental imbalance is regularly observed in a toxic workplace environment, which is alarming due to the deep-rooted grounds for high levels of stress and burnout and is a source of psychological strain on the employees’ health,” the Chinese study explains. The same study highlights a few of the key characteristics with which to identify a toxic work culture:

, , says that she has, over the years, worked with people from various fields including healthcare, corporate, and education, who come to therapy feeling burned out, disillusioned, and anxious. She says that more often than not, their struggles aren’t just personal; they’re deeply rooted in their environment. “A toxic workplace doesn’t just create a bad vibe; it messes with emotional regulation, triggers trauma responses, and leads to long-term psychological issues,” the expert adds.

Shruti Padhye highlights four measures you can take if you or anyone you know is stuck in an unhealthy working environment:

The first step in therapy is analysing: ‘What is happening? Both internally as well as externally.’ Toxic environments can lead to workloads, relationships, or overall environments deteriorating at unsustainable rates, but in these scenarios, people often begin to blame themselves for what they are experiencing. This reflects a distorted way of thinking. Shruti suggests we should flip it instead: “This situation is dysfunctional—not because I am weak but because it's unmanageable. By labelling the dysfunction (by calling it toxic or dysfunctional), we are better able to stop the cycle of self-blame and overall protect our self-concept,” she says.

Toxic work environments can lead to people becoming hypervigilant; this is often what psychologists call trauma exposure. In trauma-informed care, they utilise grounding and containment. “This could be structured breathing, utilising sensory modulation (e.g., soothing textures or music during breaks), or visualisation of ‘boxing’ these troubling interactions until we can deal with them later. Using these kinds of containment strategies helps stave off emotional dysregulation and keeps us functioning,” Shruti says.

A psychodynamic perspective suggests that when work environments are toxic, there can be interpersonal triggers of previous attachment wounds—when our performance feels evaluative of love or approval. Shruti says micro-boundaries around work (e.g., saying no to excess on-the-job new tasks, not participating in co-workers’ leveraging conversations at work, not checking email after quitting time) allow our internal sense of worth to readjust. “When we have imposed micro-boundaries, these boundaries feel more like self-care than rebellions,” she adds.

In healing, it is critical for us to will the "real" self through "real" narratives. In therapy, experts frequently utilise narrative and/or schema therapy to re-wire the workplace story for the client. “Toxic work environments distort our personal narratives (I am incompetent, I am replaceable). Being capable of purposeful reconceptualisation of your narrative through journaling, the therapeutic process, or peer processing, creates distance between yourself and your context. You are not your context, regardless that it is a broken context,” Shruti explains.

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A toxic workplace in today’s day and age can not only deter one’s confidence and career progression, but is also harmful for the workplace itself. On the other hand, a healthy work culture brings positivity, makes employees feel part of the process, and encourages them to work harder than they would otherwise.