How to survive a toxic work environment - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / How to survive a toxic work environment - Introvert Whisperer How to survive a toxic work environment? Do you wake up every morning and dread to go to the office? Do you detest the politics and drama that goes on in your office? When it comes to being a victim of a toxic workplace, you are not alone. You will be surprised to know that recent research has thrown light on the shocking fact of how 53 per cent of employees all over the world are currently unhappy at work. If you detested homework at school, you are bound to hate this as well. So what defines a toxic workplace? Haley Denver, a Human Resource expert, defines a poisonous work environment as one that cultivates bullying, backbiting and unhealthy competition. If you are a part of a workplace that has too much of political manipulations going on, we hear you. We understand how difficult it is to deal with an unappreciative boss and unyielding managers. Add to that, there is relentless backbiting and snitching that just does not let you breathe easy. According to a survey, it has been found out that working in a toxic workplace can lead to health and mental problems. Stress from a toxic work environment can lead to lowered self-confidence due to continuous bullying and emotional shaming. The consequences of toxicity in a workplace are not just limited to a person’s physical health. A person who is subjected to a dangerous work ambience turns bitter due to the stress. Working in a toxic environment can adversely affect your power of concentration and may lead to a weakened immune system. As a result, you cannot give in your 100% at work. The best solution to this is to get out of the toxic situation as soon as possible. However, for various commitments and obligations, it becomes difficult for you to leave your job all of a sudden. So, we suggest you fight and survive through the ordeal and emerge out as a winner. Here is a list of DOs and DONTs that you need to keep in mind to fight back the toxicity at your workplace. DOs Be positive Instead of whining about the workload or the ambience and the people in it, try to see the good in everybody. Irrespective of all the bullying and misbehaviour, you go about with a smile on your face and try to appreciate others. Yes! I know â€" however easy it may sound, practicing it in real life can be quite a challenging task. But you must understand that continuous exposure to negativity can make you feel even more miserable. Try and keep yourself away from all kinds of negative discussions. Since you are a victim of toxicity, do not engage in speaking ill of others. Instead, we suggest you draw up a list of all the good points about your job. Enjoy the free coffee and Wi-Fi and the gym facilities. This will help you shift your perception and feel more relaxed. Be yourself While a healthy dose of competition can promote efficiency, aggressive pulling down and snitching amongst co-workers can create a disturbing environment and can disrupt harmony. Rather than being a part of the ruthless rat race, stay away from the bandwagon and do your work at your own pace. Do not try to bring others down and sincerely try to bond with your colleagues. While in the malignant ambience, do not lose sight of who you are. Be true to yourself and do not give in. Easier said than done, I know. But, keep up the fight and do not let the virulent people around you make you one of them. If anything, you should grow stronger so that you can transcend all levels of bullying so that none of this can affect you. Make allies and stop the war An average working hour’s span is of 8 hours. Imagine bottling up every emotion and not talking to anyone from 9 to 5? That is just impossible! You cannot stay without interacting with people around you for that long a period. But if you feel that the people around you are selfish and judgmental, we suggest you build your own tribe within the office to deal with them. Cornering yourself in the office and isolating yourself completely can just add on to your stress. When you have someone in the office that you can vent out your feelings to, it becomes easier to deal with the bad air within the office. When we say a friend, it does not mean someone you can hang around with. But someone you can trust enough to share a wavelength with. Support each other and understand each others frustrations. When you get a partner, it helps you to handle the ordeal in a better way. Create your own space To counter the negativity surrounding you, create your own zone where you can feel more relaxed. Adorn your workstation or cubicle with things that make you happy. Pinup photos of your friends and people who matter to you. This will help you deal with anxiety triggers and exude positive energy. Write your goals on post-its and pin them up on your dashboard to remind yourself what you are there for. Hang posters of inspirational sayings that soothe you. Do everything to tell yourself who you are and to feel loved and appreciated while in a toxic work zone. Try to find a cubicle away from the din of your colleagues so that you can miss out on the negative discussions that go on all the time. Communicate more Proper communication can solve problems in a jiffy! Do not underestimate the value of excellent communication. Instead of keeping things bottled up, just go up to the person in question and sort it out. Keeping things within will make it grow bigger, and if you do not let it out, it can cause a lot of mental stress. At times, a candid conversation can immediately sort out something without any complications. So communicate more to simplify things around you. DON’Ts Take your work home Quite recently, Amazon India’s head, Amit Agarwal, has asked employees not to respond to office emails after their working hours. It is okay to choose to work overtime, but that should not be a reoccurring thing. Do not take the pressure home as that will mean you are bringing the negativity along with you into your home. This might affect your work â€" life harmony and can add on to your stress. Continuous slogging can give rise to anxiety and can make you bitter. So keep your workload to the ambit of your workplace and devote enough time to your social life too. Go out and enjoy a movie or a night out with friends to unwind. Do things that will help you to forget about the problems you face at work?   Believe everything you hear Since a toxic workplace is all about backbiting and spreading rumours, we suggest you do not focus on everything you hear around you. It is just a part of grapevine, and everything is just a game of Chinese whispers. So take it easy and learn to differentiate facts from stories. Do not believe everything that you hear about yourself and do not take them to heart and brood over it. Instead of wasting your energy to locate the sources of the rumour, just breathe easy and learn to ignore such stories. Believe something only when you see or hear it for yourself. Participate In Drama Keep unnecessary drama as far as you can. Do not welcome unwanted discussions amongst your co-workers about another colleague. Steer clear from such people who over criticise and shame people. To keep the negativity at bay, do not engage in gossip. Keep in mind that you too can be their victim once you turn your back on them. Whenever you feel that things are becoming complicated, choose to step out of the group and walk away. If you still cannot deal with the stress, you can talk to the HR department for a solution. They will undoubtedly have a way out for you. And, if you think that the stress has taken a toll on you, we recommend you to seek professional help from a counselor. At the end of the day, remember that you are a fighter and you can see through the bad time! Author Bio: Shirley Brown, a career coach and counselor, extends Dissertation help to students of psychology through Myassignment Help. Besides being a passionate artist, she loves to travel around the world.

What is it Like to Attend Portland State University

What is it Like to Attend Portland State University The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teachtheyre sharing their college experiences as well. Austin is a Portland tutor specializing in English tutoring, French tutoring, public speaking tutoring, and a number of other areas. He is currently a senior at Portland State University majoring in arts and letters, French language and literature, history, and social sciences. See what he had to share about Portland State University: Describe the campus setting and transportation options. Austin: Portland State University is located in downtown Portland, Oregon. This central location in the city provides for a number of transportation options, including ample bicycle lanes, parking structures, and multiple lines of light rail. For this reason (and because of the diversity of student ages), few students live on campus. This means that the feel of the university is both omnipresent and absent from the citys heart. The boundaries of campus and city are not defined, and many students do not even live in the city of Portland itself. (This is my situation.) Portland is relatively safe (for a U.S. city), but that still leaves plenty of danger. The university has park blocks, or urban walkways with green space, which become unsafe during parts of the night. That being said, the daytime sees such heavy foot traffic that safety is not normally a problem. How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants at Portland State University? Austin: There is little consistency in how available professors are. Academic advisers are available, but exactly how useful they are varies widely. Teaching assistants are not present in many classes, but they are often quite available. How would you describe the dorm liferooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Austin: Like the majority of Portland State University students, I do not live in the dorms. It would be unfair to merely spread hearsay, but given that Portland State University does not have a normal percentage of students living on or near campus, the dorms do not play such a central role as at some other universities and colleges. Which majors/programs are best represented and supported at Portland State University? Austin: Developmental psychology, conflict resolution, business, and engineering get a good showing at Portland State University, among others. That being said, rankings and self-elected specialities are always debatable. I am currently striving for four majors (social sciences, history, arts and letters, and French language and literature). I may or may not also earn a minor or two, depending on the next term. I would argue that the university did an often mediocre job of supporting my areas of study. Without comparing it to other institutions, it is still possible to say that my goals were as much hindered as they were helped. How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Austin: I was incredibly engaged in my high school and had many great friends. A year later, I found myself reduced to tears, wailing to my mother about my lack of friends and even basic social engagement at Portland State University. Greek life does not play an important part in this university and its social life (or lack thereof). My way into a now much more satisfying social life was through working with a study-abroad company based at Portland State University that hires a diverse range of American and international students to welcome and support short-term study abroad students from East Asia. How helpful is the Career Center and other student support services? Austin: My future career choices are in academia, and therefore I have not attended these sessions. Instead, I seek out professors and ask how they got where they are. How are the various study areas such as libraries, the student union, and dorm lounges at Portland State University? Austin: Portland State University does have spacious study areas, but it is also the largest university in the state of Oregon, and so things can get crowded. Describe the surrounding town at Portland State University. Austin: Portland is a very dynamic city that is becoming increasingly popular. As previously mentioned, there is little to no distinction between Portland State University and Portland itself, in many cases. Portland State University is a few minutes away from major theatres and shopping malls, and it is relatively close to great hiking, two hours from the coast, less than that from Mount Hood, etc. How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Austin: Portland State University is the largest university in the state of Oregon, and it has many students in many classes. However, higher-level courses across departments may not be large even with a mix of Master and Bachelor students. Check out Austins tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.