Job hunting in South Africa is a job on its own. There are either no jobs in certain industries or if there are, most applicants are met with rejection emails or deafening silence.
However, when someone finally gets a job, they have no choice but to stay and endure toxic work environments. Such environments involve bullying, being belittled by seniors even when you are excelling at your duties.
So, here are some signs that you have been hired by a toxic workplace:
Many companies proudly announce that their organisation is run like a ‘big family’, and when businesses describe themselves this way, they tend to mean well.
What they are trying to communicate is that they have an environment that facilitates trust, a sense of belonging, and loyalty among employees and senior staff.
However, Gen Z and millennials do not see it this way. One Twitter user says: “It is a red flag because there's none of the warmth you’d expect from a family. There are constant interpersonal issues and unreasonable demands. You'll also be looked down upon in meetings for not working hard enough.”
Paternalism
This is a system under which an authority undertakes to supply needs or regulate conduct of those under its control in matters affecting them as individuals, as well as in their relations to authority and to each other.
Under paternalistic leadership, supervisors often chastise or punish employees in unconventional ways like parents sometimes do.
The employees’ motivation can become dependent on management and suffer if superiors do not approve.
Favouritism
Some parents are known to have favourites among their children, and this results in excessive, unhealthy competition, fights, and sabotage.
An aspect of work for employees is the sense of having to prove yourself to your boss. Couple this with certain colleagues being seen as never doing any wrong, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Dysfunctionality
Toxic workplaces are very common. They are a breeding ground for feuds, gossip, and overall hostility similar to dysfunctional families.
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